Folding Tonneau Cover Having Secured Flexible Hinge

ABSTRACT

A folding tonneau cover apparatus including a cover assembly and a support frame assembly. The cover assembly having a plurality of rigid panels interconnected in series by a series of flexible hinges. Elongated support members having hinge support flanges help to secure the flexible hinges to the rigid panels. In preferred embodiments, the support flanges of the elongated support members cooperate with the underside of the respective rigid panels to which the support members are secured, to form a partial enclosure within which a side portion of the respective flexible hinge is secured. The cover assembly is secured to the support frame assembly to cover a cargo box of a pickup truck by a plurality of locking members when the support frame assembly is secured to sidewalls of the cargo box. Methods of making a tonneau cover apparatus and methods of folding and unfolding the cover assembly are also disclosed.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.16/252,345, filed on Jan. 18, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/794,549, filed on Oct. 26, 2017, now U.S. Pat.No. 10,189,340, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 62/414,591, filed on Oct. 28, 2016; this application also claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/845,086, filed on May 8,2019, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/843,357, filed on May 3,2019, which applications are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

A tonneau cover apparatus for covering an open bed or cargo box of apickup truck or other truck or trailer. Particularly, a tonneau coverapparatus including a folding cover assembly having a plurality ofpanels that are interconnected in series by a series of hinges in such amanner that the respective panels can pivot with respect to one another,so as to fold up and unfold, and which is detachably fastenable to asupport frame assembly including a pair of side rails, each of which issecured to one of two opposing sidewalls of the cargo box.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Numerous protective cover assemblies for preventing rain, debris andwind from damaging or disrupting the contents of a pickup truck bed orcargo box are currently available. Among these protective coverassemblies are tonneau covers. Some tonneau covers are made of a fabricmaterial, often a fabric coated with a polymeric material, which isfastened to a rigid frame so as to enclose and protect the pickup truckcargo box. Various covering materials are used for such tonneau covers;some are flexible and/or stretchable, and others are more rigid, andthey are secured to the pickup truck in various manners to cover thecargo box. Tonneau covers are opened in various manners to allow entryinto the cargo box, such as by rolling the cover up, folding the coverup, pivoting the cover upward from a location proximate the cab, ordisconnecting and removing the cover from the cargo box altogether.

Typical tonneau covers have support frames including a pair of elongatedside rails that are secured to the sidewalls of the cargo box of thepickup truck. Known tonneau covers are often secured to the side railsusing hook and loop strip fastener components secured to the side rail,typically within a horizontal channel (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos.4,036,521; 4,991,640; 6,752,449 and U.S. Patent Application Pub. No.2004/0212212 A1). Some tonneau covers are secured to the side rails bylatches (see. e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,104,586). Some tonneau coversinclude rigid panels which are folded up for cargo access (see e.g.,U.S. Pat. No. 10,189,340).

The present invention provides improvements that address limitationsassociated with the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention preferably includes a tonneau cover apparatus forremovable attachment about a top of a perimeter of a cargo box of apickup truck, the top of the perimeter of the cargo box including aforward end, two opposing sidewalls and a tailgate, the tailgate beingpositioned rearward of the forward end and having an open position and aclosed position, the tonneau cover apparatus including: a support frameassembly for attachment to the cargo box; and a cover assembly forattachment to the support frame assembly when the support frame assemblyis attached to the cargo box; the cover assembly preferably including aplurality of rigid panels and a flexible hinge; wherein the plurality ofrigid panels include first and second panels flexibly secured to oneanother by the flexible hinge; the flexible hinge having a centerportion, two side portions and two intermediate portions; wherein eachof the respective intermediate portions separately interconnect one ofthe respective side portions to the center portion; wherein the coverassembly preferably further includes an elongated support member securedto an underside of one of the rigid panels; wherein the elongatedsupport member has a main portion and a flange; wherein the main portionhas an upper portion that is secured to an underside of the respectiverigid panel and the flange extends away from the upper portion such thatthe flange resides at least partially below the respective underside andat least a portion of one of the two side portions; wherein the flangeand the underside of the respective rigid panel preferably cooperate toform a partial enclosure within which the side portion is secured; andwherein the flange preferably has a lip and wherein the lip preferablyextends toward the outer edge of the rigid panel so as to form a partialenclosure to retain at least a portion of the intermediate portion andthe side portion of one side of the flexible hinge; and wherein at leasta portion of the intermediate portion of the flexible hinge has athickness that is greater than a gap between the outer edge of the rigidpanel and any point on the outer surface of the lip of the supportflange.

In a further embodiment, the present invention provides a tonneau coverapparatus for removable attachment about a top of a perimeter of a cargobox of a pickup truck, the top of the perimeter of the cargo boxincluding a forward end, two opposing sidewalls and a tailgate, thetailgate being positioned rearward of the forward end and having an openposition and a closed position, the tonneau cover apparatus including asupport frame assembly for attachment to the cargo box; and a coverassembly for attachment to the support frame assembly when the supportframe assembly is attached to the cargo box; the cover assemblyincluding a plurality of rigid panels and a flexible hinge; wherein theplurality of rigid panels preferably include first and second panelsflexibly secured to one another by the flexible hinge; the flexiblehinge having a center portion, two side portions and two intermediateportions; wherein each of the respective intermediate portionsseparately interconnect one of the respective side portions to thecenter portion; and wherein each of the respective rigid panels have anunderside, a topside and a perimeter surface surrounding a perimeter ofeach of the respective rigid panels; wherein a first portion of theperimeter surface of the respective rigid panel converges with a firstsection of the respective underside proximate the flexible hingesecuring the first rigid panel to the second ridged panel to form afirst edge that runs generally parallel to a length of the flexiblehinge; wherein the cover assembly further includes an elongated supportmember secured to the respective underside of one of the respectiverigid panels proximate the first edge; wherein the elongated supportmember has a main portion and a flange and the main portion has an upperportion that is secured to the respective underside of the respectiverigid panel and the flange has an extended portion that extends awayfrom the upper portion and resides below the underside when the supportmember is secured to the respective underside and a lip portion whichruns generally parallel to the first edge and extends upward from theextended portion so as to reduce a width of a gap between the lipportion and the first edge such that the proximate portion of the flangeresides at least partially below the respective underside proximate thefirst edge of the respective rigid panel so as to cooperate with therespective underside to form a partial enclosure in which at least aportion of the side portion of the respective hinge resides.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, a tonneau coverapparatus is provided for removable attachment about a top of aperimeter of a cargo box of a pickup truck, the top of the cargo boxincluding a forward end, two opposing sidewalls and a tailgate, thetailgate being positioned rearward of the forward end and having an openposition and a closed position, the tonneau cover apparatus including asupport frame assembly for attachment to the cargo box; and a coverassembly for attachment to the support frame assembly when the supportframe assembly is attached to the cargo box; the cover assemblyincluding a plurality of rigid panels and a flexible hinge; wherein theplurality of rigid panels include first and second panels flexiblysecured to one another by the flexible hinge; the flexible hinge havinga center portion, two side portions and two intermediate portions;wherein each of the respective intermediate portions separatelyinterconnect one of the respective side portions to the center portion;wherein the cover assembly further includes two elongated supportmembers, each of which is secured to an underside of one of the rigidpanels; wherein each of the elongated support members has a main portionand a flange; wherein the main portion has an upper portion that issecured to an underside of one of the respective rigid panels and theflange extends away from the upper portion such that the flange residesat least partially below the respective underside proximate an outeredge of the respective rigid panel when the respective elongated supportmember is secured to the respective rigid panel; wherein the respectiveflange and the underside of the respective rigid panel cooperate to forma partial enclosure within which one of the respective side portions ofthe flexible hinge is secured; wherein the flexible hinge is secured tothe respective first and second rigid panels within respective first andsecond partial enclosures.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a tonneau coverapparatus is provided for removable attachment about a top of aperimeter of a cargo box of a pickup truck, the top of the cargo boxincluding a forward end, two opposing sidewalls and a tailgate, thetailgate being positioned rearward of the forward end and having an openposition and a closed position, the tonneau cover apparatus including asupport frame assembly for attachment to the cargo box; and a coverassembly for attachment to the support frame assembly when the supportframe assembly is attached to the cargo box; the cover assemblyincluding a plurality of rigid panels and a flexible hinge; wherein theplurality of rigid panels include first and second panels flexiblysecured to one another by the flexible; the flexible hinge having acenter portion, two side portions and two intermediate portions, each ofwhich extend a length of the flexible hinge, wherein each of therespective intermediate portions separately interconnect one of therespective side portions to the center portion; wherein the centerportion is at least partially concave.

These and various other advantages and features of novelty whichcharacterize the present invention are pointed out with particularity inthe claims annexed hereto and forming a part hereof. However, for abetter understanding of the invention, its advantages and objectsobtained by its use, reference should be made to the drawings which forma further part hereof, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, inwhich there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, in which corresponding reference numerals and lettersindicate corresponding parts of the various embodiments throughout theseveral views, and in which the various embodiments generally differonly in the manner described and/or shown, but otherwise include partscorresponding to the parts in the previously described embodiment;

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a folding tonneau cover apparatusaccording to the present invention, including a folding cover assemblyand a support frame assembly, and shown attached to a pickup truck whichis shown in phantom;

FIG. 2A is a top plan view showing the folding tonneau cover assemblyshown in FIG. 1 and also showing a protective film 574 on the topsurface of the front panel 536 c, that is not shown in subsequentFigures, with the exception of FIGS. 9A, 10A, and 10 B where theprotective film shown is again shown;

FIG. 2B is a bottom plan view of the folding tonneau cover apparatus ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 2C is a side view of the folding tonneau cover apparatus of FIG. 1as viewed from line 2C-2C of FIG. 2A which illustrates the driver's sideof the pickup truck shown in FIG. 1; however, for clarity ofillustration, the perimeter seal on the underside of the outer edge ofthe respective panels is not shown;

FIG. 2D is a detailed view of a portion of the folding tonneau coverapparatus encircled by the dashed line 2D, 19A of FIG. 2C, illustratingthe rear hinge, with a portion of the driver's-side side rail brokenaway to show the underlying structure;

FIG. 2E is a detailed view of a portion of the folding tonneau coverapparatus encircled by dashed line 2E of FIG. 2C, illustrating themiddle hinge and the front hinge, with a portion of the driver's-sideside rail broken away to show the underlying structure;

FIG. 2F is an enlarged detailed top plan view of a portion of thefolding tonneau cover apparatus shown in the dashed rectangle 2F of FIG.2A, with portions broken away to show the underlying structure andshowing the support member in partial cross section and illustrating theengaging portion of the latch engaged with the containment bracket andthe side rail, and showing an alternate position of the engaging portionof the latch in phantom when it is retracted from the containmentbracket and with other structures shown in phantom to indicate therelative position of the respective elements;

FIG. 2G is an enlarged perspective view as seen generally from a line2G-2G of FIG. 2B which is seen from below of a portion of a foldingtonneau cover apparatus similar to the folding tonneau cover apparatusshown in FIG. 2B, except that the side rail shown in FIG. 2G is analternate passenger side rail 520 d, which differs from the side rail520 b shown in FIG. 2B;

FIG. 2H is an exploded perspective view of an alternative driver's-sidesplit side rail, that is a mirror image of the passenger side split siderail shown in FIG. 2G, both of which have a plurality of sections whichare joined together by a driver's side containment bracket;

FIG. 3A is a rear perspective view of the folding tonneau coverapparatus of FIG. 1, illustrating additional details;

FIG. 3B is a partial section view as seen from the line 3B-3B of FIG. 3Aillustrating the engaging portion of one of the latches on the rearsupport bow or support member of the rear panel engaged with the lip ofthe side rail and the side rail clamped to the sidewall of the pickuptruck with a portion of the truck sidewall and sidewall cap shown inphantom;

FIG. 4A is a rear perspective view of the folding tonneau coverapparatus of FIG. 1, with the release cord pulled to pull the latchagainst the bias of the spring to release the latch from the engagementwith the side rail;

FIG. 4B is a is a partial section view as seen from the line 4B-4B ofFIG. 4A similar to the view of FIG. 3B, but showing the arrangement withthe engaging portion of the latch retracted from the closed positionwhere the latch would be engaged with the lip of the side rail;

FIG. 5A is schematic illustration of a vertical cross section along afront-to-back plane as seen from the line 5A-5A of FIG. 2A of one of thehinges of the folding tonneau cover assembly of FIG. 1 showing the basicconfiguration with the hinge unfolded;

FIG. 5B is a schematic illustration similar to FIG. 5A of a transversevertical cross section along a front-to-back plane showing an alternateembodiment of one of the hinges of the folding tonneau cover assembly ofFIG. 1 showing the hinge unfolded;

FIG. 5C is a schematic illustration showing the hinge of FIG. 5B, butwith the hinge folded at about 45 degrees from the unfolded orientationshown in FIG. 5B;

FIG. 5D is a schematic illustration showing the general steps andconfigurations of the folding tonneau cover assembly of FIG. 1 as it isfolded up into a fully folded orientation;

FIG. 5E is a further schematic illustration showing an alternateconfiguration of the fully folded orientation of the tonneau coverassembly of FIG. 5D;

FIG. 5F is a further schematic illustration similar to that of FIG. 5E,but showing yet another alternate configuration of the fully foldedtonneau cover assembly;

FIG. 6A is a rear perspective view of the folding tonneau coverapparatus of FIG. 1 wherein the latches on the rear panel have beenreleased to allow the rear panel to be lifted up in a first step towardfolding up the tonneau cover assembly;

FIG. 6B is a partial section view as seen from line 6B-6B of FIG. 6Ashowing the hook or swing latch 562 a near the driver's side end portionof the rear support bow of the middle panel retracted from catch 564 asecured to the lip of the side rail;

FIG. 7A is a rear perspective view of the folding tonneau coverapparatus of FIG. 1 wherein the rear panel has been rotated forward ontothe middle panel in a further step toward folding up the cover assembly;

FIG. 7B is a partial section view as seen from the line 7B-7B of FIG. 7Ashowing the engaging portion of the swing latch 562 a disengaged fromthe catch 564 a;

FIG. 7C is a schematic illustration similar to that shown in FIG. 5Cshowing the alternate hinge body of FIG. 5B but with the hinge bodyfolded about 180 degrees as shown in the configuration illustrated inFIGS. 7A-7B;

FIG. 8A is a rear perspective view of the folding tonneau coverapparatus of FIG. 1, wherein the rear panel is folded over onto themiddle panel and wherein both panels have been lifted up and pivotedforward generally about 90 degrees with respect to the front panel thatis resting on the side rails and is generally in a horizontal plane withrespect to the pickup truck shown in part in phantom;

FIG. 8B is a partial section view as seen from the line 8B-8B of FIG. 8Ashowing the swing latch 562 c near the driver's-side end portion of thesupport bow of the spacer panel disengaged from the corresponding catch564 c;

FIG. 8C is a side view as seen from the line 8C-8C of FIG. 8A, butillustrating the rear panel together with the middle panel engaged topsurface to top surface as shown in FIG. 8A, but showing the two panelsrotated forward further than shown in FIG. 8A to the point that thestandoff 558 touches the front panel 536 c;

FIG. 8D is a side view similar to FIG. 8C, except that the rear paneltogether with the middle panel are rotated further forward so that thestandoff is touching the front panel and the spacer panel is lifted upand rotated partially forward;

FIG. 8E is a side view similar to FIG. 8D, except that the rear paneltogether with the front panel are rotated still further forward and thestandoff is touching the front panel and the spacer panel is lifted upfurther and rotated further forward;

FIG. 8F is a schematic illustration showing a transverse vertical crosssection similar to that of FIGS. 5C and 7C, but showing the spacer paneland two adjacent alternate hinges of the folding tonneau cover assemblyof the present invention, illustrating both of the alternate hinges in apartially folded configuration similar to the partially foldedorientation shown in FIG. 8D;

FIG. 9A is a rear perspective view of the folding tonneau coverapparatus of FIG. 1 showing the rear panel together with the middlepanel and the spacer panel rotated forward so that the middle panel andthe rear panel are resting together on the top of the front panel, withthe spacer panel rotated upward generally at a 90 degree angle to theother panels in a fully folded orientation, but also showing thestandoffs 558 resting on alternate protective films 574 shown only inFIGS. 2A, 9A, 10A, and 10B as an alternate element in those figures;

FIG. 9B is a partial section view as seen from the line 9B-9B of FIG. 9Aillustrating the driver's side of the completely folded tonneau coverassembly showing the rear support bow of the front panel resting on thelip of the driver's side side rail;

FIG. 10A is a front perspective view of the folding tonneau coverapparatus of FIG. 1 wherein the rear panel together with the middlepanel and the spacer panel have been pivoted or rotated forward so thatthe middle panel and the rear panel are resting on the top surface ofthe front panel as in FIG. 9A and showing the alternate protective filmon the front panel engaged by the standoff 558 which rests on theprotective film 574;

FIG. 10B is a front perspective view of the folding tonneau coverapparatus of FIG. 1 similar to the view of FIG. 10A, but showing thestorage strap 543 a pulled down and a strap bracket 543 b engaged with abracket slot 543 c on the front edge of the front panel, securing thefolding tonneau cover assembly 530 in the fully folded up configuration;

FIG. 10C is a front view of the folding tonneau cover apparatus of FIG.1 showing a storage strap toward each side of the folded tonneau cover,with each storage strap pulled down and a strap bracket engaged with abracket slot on the front edge of the front panel, securing the foldingtonneau cover in the folded up configuration;

FIG. 10D is a side view from the driver's side of the folding tonneaucover apparatus of FIG. 1 in the configuration of FIG. 10C furthershowing the fully folded configuration and schematically illustratingthe flexible hinges in the folded-up configuration, with one of thestorage straps being visible and a strap bracket engaged with a bracketslot on the front panel, securing the folding tonneau cover in the fullyfolded up configuration;

FIG. 10E is a schematic illustration showing a transverse vertical crosssection similar to that of FIG. 8F, showing the a spacer panel and twoadjacent hinges of the folding tonneau cover of FIG. 1, illustratingboth of the alternate hinges in a 90-degree folded configuration;

FIG. 11A is a rear perspective view of the folding tonneau coverapparatus of FIG. 1 viewed from slightly below and to the driver's sideof the folding tonneau cover apparatus, wherein the folding tonneaucover assembly is secured in the fully folded up configuration similarto that of FIGS. 10B-10D, showing a release cord for pulling the latcheson the front panel against the bias of the springs to release thelatches and schematically illustrating the flexible hinges in a mannersimilar to that in FIG. 10D;

FIG. 11B is a partial view of the portion of the folding tonneau coverapparatus of FIG. 1 shown in the dashed rectangle 11B of FIG. 11A,illustrating clip cord guides and a retainer cord guide and acorresponding release cord along a support bow, with the support bowshown in phantom to reveal the underlying structures;

FIG. 12 illustrates the folding tonneau cover assembly 530 of FIG. 1,secured in the fully folded up configuration disengaged from the supportframe assembly 518 and being held in the arms of an operator;

FIG. 13A illustrates a clip cord guide aligned for attachment to asupport bow or support member;

FIG. 13B illustrates the clip cord guide of FIG. 13A inserted into achannel of the support bow;

FIG. 13C illustrates the clip cord guide of FIGS. 13A and 13B rotated sothat an oblong securement feature engages the clip cord guide within thechannel of the support bow;

FIG. 13D illustrates a retainer cord guide secured to a support bow;

FIG. 14A is a perspective view illustrating a standoff;

FIG. 14B is a side view illustrating the standoff of FIG. 14A withlongitudinal groove 558 b engaged with a sidebar 559 secured to thebottom surface of the rear panel 536 a and showing the support bow inphantom;

FIG. 14C is a side view illustrating the standoff of FIGS. 14A and 14Bpivoted upward so that the longitudinal groove 558 c is engaged with thesidebar as shown and illustrating a standoff distance between a top ofthe protective pad on the standoff and the top surface of the rear paneland showing the support bow in phantom;

FIG. 15A illustrates a preferred perimeter seal in a transverse verticalcross section;

FIG. 15B illustrates an alternate perimeter seal in a transversevertical cross section;

FIG. 15C illustrates a further alternate perimeter seal in a transversevertical cross section;

FIG. 15D illustrates another alternate perimeter seal in a transversevertical cross section;

FIG. 15E illustrates another alternate perimeter seal in a transversevertical cross section;

FIG. 15F illustrates a rigid panel edge guard in a transverse verticalcross section;

FIG. 15G illustrates a still further alternate perimeter seal in atransverse vertical cross section;

FIG. 15H illustrates a further alternate perimeter seal in a transversevertical cross section;

FIG. 16A illustrates a front view of a support bow or support member;

FIG. 16B illustrates an alternate support bow similar to the support bowof FIG. 16A, but wherein the alternate support bow has a slight bend ordeflection of the support bow making its upper surface curved downwardlyat the ends;

FIG. 16C is an end view of the support bow of FIG. 16B showing thedeflection d;

FIG. 16D is a schematic illustration of a front view of a rigid panel536′ of the folding tonneau cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 16E is a schematic illustration of a rigid panel of FIG. 16D afterbeing attached to the support bow of FIG. 16B, causing the panel to havea slight downwardly concave curvature reflecting the deflection of thealternate support bow of FIG. 16B;

FIG. 16F is a perspective view of a straight support bow or supportmember with no hinge support flange and no downward deflection;

FIG. 16G is a perspective view of a curved support bow or support memberwith no hinge support flange and a downward curvature or deflection;

FIG. 16H is a perspective view of a straight support bow with one hingesupport flange having a lip;

FIG. 16I is a perspective view of a curved support bow having a downwarddeflection and one hinge support flange having a lip;

FIG. 16J is a perspective view of a straight support bow having twohinge support flanges;

FIG. 16K is a perspective view of a curved support bow having two hingesupport flanges and a downward deflection;

FIG. 17A is a cross sectional detail view as seen from the line 17A-17Ain FIG. 3A, showing additional details in the vicinity of the side ofthe spacer panel, and showing two flexible hinges, a latch, acontainment bracket, a hook, and a catch;

FIG. 17B is a cross sectional detail view similar to the view shown inFIG. 17A, but with one of the flexible hinges folded up from the siderail, similar to the configuration of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 17C is a perspective view of a hinge body of the folding coverassembly of FIG. 1 shown isolated and in an unfolded configuration;

FIG. 17D is a perspective view of a portion of the hinge body includinga transverse vertical cross sectional view of the hinge body taken fromthe dashed rectangle 17D shown in FIG. 17C;

FIG. 17E is a view that is similar to the view shown in FIG. 17D, exceptthat the hinge body that is shown is an alternate hinge body;

FIG. 17F is a view that is similar to the view shown in FIG. 17D, exceptthat the hinge body that is shown is an alternate hinge body;

FIG. 17G is an enlarged schematic illustration similar to that shown inFIG. 18J, which is referenced herein below, except that the hinge bodyis different which allows the configuration of the partial enclosure 592to engage the alternate hinge body 545 a′″ in a slightly differentmanner wherein the panel 336 does not abut against the hinge body 545a′″ the same way that is shown in FIG. 18J;

FIG. 17H is a further enlargement of a portion of the hinge body 545 a′″and the partial enclosure 592 in which the hinge body is secured andalso showing the gap 590 between a first point 593 a on the lip 587 b ofthe flange 586 b of the support bow 550 and a second point 593 b at thelower corner of the panel 536 which is taken from the dashed circle 17Hof FIG. 17G;

FIG. 18A is a schematic illustration similar to that of FIG. 5A, butillustrating an alternative embodiment of the support bows each having aflange, but neither of which have a flange lip;

FIG. 18B is a schematic illustration similar to that of FIG. 5A, butillustrating an alternative embodiment of the hinge body 545 a′ having asingle hinge body polymer material and having support bows that have alip at the end of each of the support flanges of the partial enclosure;

FIG. 18C is a schematic illustration similar to that of FIG. 18B, butillustrating a further alternative embodiment of the hinge body 545 a″made of a single polymeric material and having a flat central portion;

FIG. 18D is a schematic illustration similar to that of FIG. 18B, butillustrating a further alternative embodiment of the hinge body 545 a′″made of a single polymeric material that is secured on each side withina partial enclosure created by the panel 536 and the support bow 550without an adhesive securing the side portion to the rigid panel;

FIG. 18E is an enlarged schematic perspective illustration similar tothat of FIG. 17G, but with the hinge body shown partially secured withina partial enclosure 592 created by rigid panels 536, one of which ispartially broken away, and support bows having a lip at the end of eachof the support flanges of the partial enclosure;

FIG. 18F is an enlarged schematic perspective view of the portion ofFIG. 18E shown in the dashed circle 18F, but with the rigid panels andsupport bows shown only in part;

FIG. 18G is a further schematic perspective view similar to FIG. 18E butshowing the structure of the partial enclosure 592 with the hinge bodyshown only partially in phantom, with the rigid panels and support bowsshown in cooperation with one another as shown in FIG. 18D;

FIG. 18H is an enlarged view providing a transverse vertical crosssection of the portion of the folding tonneau cover assembly shown inFIG. 18A, but showing the hinge body 545 a in phantom;

FIG. 18I is an enlarged view similar to that shown in FIG. 18H, exceptthat the hinge body 545 a is shown in cross section and the rigid panels536 and the support bows 550 are shown in phantom;

FIG. 18J is an enlarged view of the portion of the folding tonneau coverassembly 530 shown in the dashed circle 18J of FIG. 18I;

FIG. 19A is a detail side view of a portion of the folding tonneau coverapparatus of FIG. 1 as viewed from line 19A-19A as indicated in FIG. 3A,with the side rail on the driver's side in phantom and the truck removedto show the underlying structure, and showing in phantom an alternateposition of the same portion of the folding tonneau cover apparatus inwhich the rear panel has been lifted up and rotated frontward somewhatso that the hook is disengaged from the catch;

FIG. 19B is a detail side view similar to that of FIG. 19A, but in whichthe rear panel has been rotated completely forward onto the middle apanel;

FIG. 19C is a schematic illustration of steps and configurations of thefolding tonneau cover apparatus of FIG. 1 showing the folding coverassembly being installed onto the side rails, showing the hooks at thefront of the front panel approaching the catches at the front of theside rails, then the hooks at the front of the front panel engaged withthe catches at the front of the side rails and the latches at the rearof the front panel engaged with the side rails and the respectivecontainment brackets, then the spacer panel and middle panel unfoldedwith the hooks at the front of the middle panel engaged with therespective catches on the side rails, then the rear panel unfolded withthe hooks at the front of the rear panel engaged with the respectivecatches on the side rails and the latches at the rear of the rear panelengaged with the respective side rails and containment brackets;

FIG. 20A is a schematic illustration of the folding tonneau coverapparatus of FIG. 1, as configured for a cargo box having angled sides;

FIG. 20B is a schematic illustration of the folding tonneau coverapparatus of FIG. 1, as configured for a cargo box having parallelsides;

FIG. 20C is a schematic illustration of the folding tonneau coverapparatus of FIG. 1, as configured for an elongated cargo box;

FIG. 20D is a schematic illustration of the folding tonneau coverapparatus of FIG. 1, as configured for a shorter cargo box;

FIG. 20E is a schematic illustration of the folding tonneau coverapparatus of FIG. 1, as configured for a cargo box with arbitrary shape;

FIG. 21A is a schematic illustration of a portion of the folding tonneaucover apparatus of FIG. 1, illustrating a flexible hinge interconnectingtwo adjacent panels, showing bent or bowed support bows creating abending or bowing of the panels attached thereto (see also FIGS.16B-16E, 16G, 16I, and 16K), with the bending or bowing exaggerated forillustration, with the panels unfolded; and

FIG. 21B is a schematic illustration similar to that of FIG. 21A,showing the panels folded up, and together with FIG. 21A illustratinghow the flexible hinge can accommodate the folding up and unfolding ofsuch bent or bowed panels.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, a folding tonneau cover apparatus 510 ofthe present invention is attachable to sidewalls 6 a, 6 b of a cargo box5, such as the cargo box of a truck or pickup truck 2, which is shown inphantom. In FIG. 1, the folding tonneau cover apparatus 510 is shown ina typical application covering the top opening 6 f (shown in phantom inFIG. 12) of the cargo box 5 of the pickup truck 2. The pickup truck 2and the cargo box 5 and the sidewalls 6 a and 6 b and the front wall 6 c(FIG. 12) at the forward end of the cargo box 5 and the tailgate 6 d atthe rear end of the cargo box 5 are not a part of the present invention,but are shown in phantom to illustrate a typical application andfunction of the folding tonneau cover apparatus 510 in covering a cargobox 5, which has a length 7 a and a width 7 b. The perimeter of thecargo box 5 includes the forward end or front wall 6 c, the opposingsidewalls 6 a and 6 b, and the rearward end or tailgate 6 d, which isshown in part. The rearward end or tailgate 6 d preferably can be openedor closed. It will be appreciated that the perimeter of the top openingof the cargo box 5 will include top surfaces of the front wall 6 c, thetwo sidewalls 6 a, 6 b, and the tailgate 6 d when the tailgate is in aclosed position (not shown). As further illustrated in FIGS. 2A-3B, thefolding tonneau cover apparatus 510 includes a folding tonneau coverassembly, tonneau cover assembly or cover assembly 530 and a supportframe assembly 518, including side rails or rails 520 a and 520 b. Inpreferred embodiments, side rails 520 a and 520 b are secured tosidewalls 6 a and 6 b with clamps 514. In preferred embodiments, thefolding cover assembly 530 is configured to be opened to an openposition and closed to a closed position, and easily removed andreinstalled by a driver or other operator 8 (FIG. 12), as needed. Theside rails 520 a and 520 b are constructed and arranged to facilitatesecurement of the folding cover assembly 530 to the side rails 520 a and520 b. In some embodiments, the side rails 520 a and 520 b have a siderail lip 524 and a side rail engagement portion 522 a. In this example,there are eight clamps 514 arranged to hold the side rails 520 a and 520b to the sidewalls 6 a, 6 b of the pickup truck 2, but other numbers ofclamps 514 can be used. In some embodiments, the clamps include an outermember 516 a, an inner member 516 b, a clamp engagement portion 516 c,and a fastener assembly 516 d; the fastener assembly can, for example,include a bolt 516 e, a washer 516 f and a nut 516 g as illustrated.

Referring again to FIGS. 2A-2C, the folding tonneau cover apparatus 510of FIG. 1 is shown in whole or in part, but the truck 2 and the cargobox 5 are not shown. FIG. 2A shows a top view of the folding tonneaucover assembly 530 of FIG. 1. The top 532 a of the folding coverassembly 530 is shown. The folding cover assembly 530 includes rigidpanels or panels 536. In this example, panels 536 include a rear panel536 a, a middle panel 536 b, a front panel 536 c, and a spacer panel orhinge panel 536 d. For ease of discussion, panels 536 are specificallyreferenced herein as 536 a-536 d, and non-specifically or collectivelyreferenced as rigid panels 536. The folding cover assembly 530 includesa plurality of such rigid panels 536, and could potentially have fromtwo to 8 panels 536; for example, 6 panels 536 could be used, including4 “longer” panels (similar to panels 536 a-536 c shown herein) and 2“shorter” panels (similar to panels 536 d shown herein). While a smalleror a larger number of panels 536 can be used (not shown), the inventorshave found that the configurations illustrated herein provide a goodtrade-off of convenient folded configuration vs. complexity.

As shown in FIG. 2A, and also as further described herein with respectto FIGS. 20A-20E, the length 539 of each of the panels 536 a-536 d isindicated as 539 a-539 d, respectively. In this example, the spacerpanel 536 d has a substantially smaller length 539 d than the otherpanels, as will be further described herein. In preferred embodiments,the length 539 d of the spacer panel 536 d is preferably no greater thanabout one-third of the length 539 a-539 c of the other panels 536 a-536c. Panels 536 a-536 d can have similar length 539, or the length of someor all of panels 536 a-536 d can differ. The width 540 of each of thepanels 536 a-536 d is indicated as 540 a-540 d, respectively. Panels 536a-536 d can have the same width 540, or the width of some or all ofpanels 536 a-536 d can differ. The side angle 542 of each of the panels536 a-536 d is indicated as 542 a-542 d, respectively, in FIG. 20A.Panels 536 a-536 d can have the same side angle 542, or the side angle542 of some or all of panels 536 a-536 d can differ. Alternativeconfigurations of folding tonneau covers 530 appropriate for coveringthe cargo box 5 of various models of pickup truck 2 are furtherdescribed below. Each panel 536 has a top surface 537 and a bottomsurface or underside 538; panel 536 a has a top surface 537 a and abottom surface or underside 538 a, panel 536 b has a top surface 537 band a bottom surface or underside 538 b, panel 536 c has a top surface537 c and a bottom surface or underside 538 c, panel 536 d has a topsurface 537 d and a bottom surface or underside 538 d.

As further described herein and illustrated in drawing FIGS. 2A-5F, thepresent invention includes a folding tonneau cover assembly 530 having aplurality of rigid panels 536 arranged in a series, with adjacent rigidpanels 536 secured to each other by a flexible hinge 544, so that thefolding cover tonneau cover assembly 530 can be unfolded to cover a topopening 6 f (FIG. 12) of a cargo box 5 of a truck 2, and folded up touncover at least a portion of the top opening 6 f of the cargo box 5 ofthe truck 2. Each rigid panel 536 has a front edge 541 b and a rear edge541 c and a driver's side edge 541 d and a passenger side edge 541 e anda top surface 537 and a bottom surface or underside 538. When thefolding tonneau cover assembly 530 is unfolded and arranged to cover thetop opening 6 f of the cargo box 5, each of the rigid panels 536 extendsbetween the driver's side 3 a and the passenger side 3 b of the cargobox 5, and each flexible hinge 544 extends between the driver's side andthe passenger side of the cargo box. In embodiments having 4 rigidpanels 536, for example, there are 3 flexible hinges 544, each flexiblehinge 544 being secured to two adjacent rigid panels 536. Otherconfigurations are possible, including embodiments having two rigidpanels 536 and one flexible hinge 544, embodiments having three rigidpanels 536 and two flexible hinges 544, embodiments having five rigidpanels 536 and four flexible hinges 544, embodiments having six rigidpanels 536 and five flexible hinges 544, and so forth. In preferredembodiments, the number of rigid panels 536 is 1 greater than the numberof flexible hinges 544; alternative embodiments include folding tonneaucover assemblies 530 having at least three rigid panels 536 and at leastone flexible hinge 544, as described herein, and at least one otherhinge or connection as may be known in the art (not shown) have beenenvisioned by the inventors. The present invention includes suchembodiments, as long as the embodiments include at least one flexiblehinge 544 as described herein.

A1so illustrated in FIG. 2A, is a protective film 574 on the top surface537 c of the front panel 536 c. As described further herein andillustrated in FIGS. 2A, 9A, 10A, and 10 B, alternate embodiments of thefolding tonneau cover assembly 530 include the protective film 574,which protects the top surface 537 c of the front panel 536 c when thefolding tonneau cover assembly 530 is folded up and the standoffs 558are in contact with the top surface 537 c. As described below, aprotective pad 558 a is preferably attached to the bottom of eachstandoff 558, but abrasion of the top surface 537 c can occasionallyoccur when the protective pads 558 a are in direct contact with the topsurface 537 c, especially when the pickup truck on which the foldingcover assembly 530 resides is travelling on rough road surfaces thatcause the protective pads 558 a to vibrate on the top surface 537 c.While the protective film 574 is optional to reduce or prevent suchabrasion in some embodiments, they are not required. Such alternateembodiments of the present invention, which include the protective film574 to minimize abrasive damage to the top surface 537 c, are disclosedherein. Protective film 574 can be obtained from a variety of suppliers,including Avery Dennison (Glendale, Calif.), 3M (St. Paul, Minn.), Arlon(Placentia, Calif.), and Xpel (San Antonio, Tex.). One preferredprotective film 574 is Avery Dennison SW 900 Series Supreme WrappingFilm. The protective film 574 is preferably applied to specificlocations on the top surface 537 c which will align with the standoffs558 when the folding tonneau cover assembly 530 is folded up as shownand described herein. For example, for embodiments including 4 standoffs558, protective film can be applied to the top surface 537 c in thelocations shown in FIG. 2B. The protective film 574 is preferablylocated in locations on the top surface 537 c as schematicallyillustrated on FIG. 2A that correspond to the locations that theprotective pads 558 a of the standoffs 558 will assume when they engagethe top surface 537 c of the front panel 536 c, when the folding coverassembly 530 is in a fully folded up orientation.

FIG. 2B shows a bottom view of the folding tonneau cover apparatus 510.Visible in this view are hinges or flexible hinges 544, which aresituated between adjacent panels 536 and adjoin adjacent panels 536. Forease of discussion, hinges 544 are specifically referenced herein as 544a-544 c, and non-specifically or collectively referenced as 544.Specifically, situated between the rear panel 536 a and the middle panel536 b is hinge 544 a. Similarly, situated between the middle panel 536 band the spacer panel 536 d is hinge 544 b, and situated between thespacer panel 536 d and the front panel 536 c is hinge 544 c. Hinges 544allow the folding cover assembly 530 to be folded up and will be morefully described below. Support bows 550 are attached to the panels 536to provide additional support and rigidity to the panels 536, and alsoprovide a structure for mounting of various other components asdescribed in detail later herein. For ease of discussion, support bows550 are specifically referenced herein as 550 a-550 g, andnon-specifically or collectively referenced as 550. The folding tonneaucover assembly 530 is removably secured to the support frame assembly518 by securing apparatus 551 a. Preferably, securing apparatus 551 aincludes at least one locking member 551 b which is engageable anddisengageable from the support frame assembly 518. Preferably, thelocking member 551 b includes latches 552 which are located at thesupport bows as shown and secure the folding cover assembly 530 to theside rails 520 a and 520 b. Release cords 554 are attached to thelatches 552. For ease of discussion, latches 552 are specificallyreferenced herein as 552 a-552 d, and non-specifically or collectivelyreferenced as 552. A1so for ease of discussion, release cords 554 arespecifically referenced herein as 554 a-554 b, and non-specifically orcollectively referenced as 554. The release cords 554 pass through cordguides 555 which are attached to support bows 550 as shown. Cord guides555 preferably include clip cord guides 555 a and retainer cord guides555 b, which will be described in further detail below. Standoffs 558are shown, and will be described in further detail below. Sidebars orhandles 559 are attached to panels 536 a, 536 b, and 536 c, near eachside of each panel 536 to further support the panels 536. Perimeter seal534 is located on the bottom 532 b of the folding cover assembly 530 andis arranged to seal against top of the perimeter of the cargo box 5 atthe sidewalls 6 a and 6 b and the front wall 6 c and the tailgate 6 d ofthe cargo box 5 as shown; some portions of perimeter seal 534 are behindside rails 520 a and 520 b and not visible FIG. 2B. The perimeter seal534 is further described herein.

The support bows or transverse frame members or channels 550 provideadditional support for the panels 536. In this embodiment, the panelseach have two support bows 550, one located near each of the front andrear ends of each panel 536, except for the spacer panel 536 d, whichhas only a single support bow 550. In this embodiment, there are latches552 mounted in pairs, one of each pair mounted near each end of each ofthe support bows 550 a and 550 f as shown. As further described below,the latches 552 engage the side rails 520 a and 520 b to secure thefolding cover assembly 530, and can slide a short distance towards oraway from the side rails 520 a and 520 b to engage or release thefolding cover assembly 530 or portions thereof or selected panels 536from the side rails 520 a and 520 b as further described below. Notethat the support bows 550 b, 550 c, 550 d, 550 e, and 550 g do not haveassociated latches 552 in this embodiment. In this embodiment, there aretwo latch release cords or release cords or cords 554, each of which areconnected to opposing pairs of latches 552 which secure the panels 536to the side rails 520 a and 520 b. The release cords 554 preferably passthrough cord guides 555 which are mounted to the support bows 550; therelease cords 554 can slide within or behind the cord guides 556 asfurther described herein. The release cords 554 generally extend fromthe latches 552 along the support bows 550. As illustrated in FIGS. 2Band 2C, the clamps 514 secure the side rails 520 a and 520 b to thesidewalls 6 a and 6 b of the cargo box 5. The folding tonneau coverapparatus 510 is seen in a side view from the driver's side in FIG. 2C.

In further reference to FIGS. 2C-2E, the portion of the folding tonneaucover apparatus 510 that includes the rear hinge 544 a, as indicated bythe encircled area labeled 2D in FIG. 2C, is illustrated in an enlargedpartial cutaway view in FIG. 2D. Similarly, the portion of the foldingtonneau cover apparatus 510 that includes the middle and front hinges544 b and 544 c, respectively, as indicated by the encircled arealabeled 2E in FIG. 2C, is illustrated in an enlarged partial cutawayview in FIG. 2E. The folding cover assembly 530 preferably includesextended hinge support flange(s) 586 located adjacent the bottom surfaceor underside 538 of the respective panel 536 and near the front and rearedges 541 b and 541 c, respectively, of the rigid panels 536 to whichthe flexible hinges 544 are secured (for example, FIG. 5A). As will bedescribed in further detail below, the flexible hinges 544 eachpreferably includes a flexible hinge body 545 a which includes a centralportion 546 a, side portions 546 b and 546 c, and intermediate portions546 d and 546 e. Each side portion 546 b and 546 c preferably extendsbetween the extended hinge support flange 586 and the rigid panel 536.Adhesive 570 a is preferably located between each side portion 546 b andthe respective rigid panel 536 to protect against passage of debris orprecipitation into the cargo box 5; the adhesive 570 a can also aid insecurement of the hinge body 545 a to the respective rigid panel 536.The support bows or channels 550 are preferably secured to the bottomsurface or underside 538 of the rigid panels 536, near the front edge541 b and/or rear edge 541 c of the rigid panels 536. Each support bow550 that is adjacent a flexible hinge 544 preferably includes theextended hinge support flange 586. Further details regarding thestructure of the flexible hinge body 545 a and securement to the rigidpanels 536 are described below.

The folding tonneau cover apparatus 510 preferably includes containmentbrackets 525 a and 525 b. The structure and function of the containmentbracket 525 a is further illustrated in FIG. 2F. Note that in FIG. 2F,portions of the rigid panels 536 and the flexible hinges 544 are brokenaway to reveal the underlying structure, and many elements areillustrated in phantom to emphasize the elements being described. Whenthe engaging portion 553 b is engaged under the side rail 520 a and iscontained by the containment bracket or anchor socket 525 a asillustrated in FIG. 2F, the engaging portion 553 b is contained by thecontainment bracket 525 a so that it cannot slide frontwards orrearwards along the side rail 520 a. The containment bracket 525 a ispreferably secured to the side rail by a fastener assembly 526, whichmay include a bolt, nut, washer, or other fasteners known in the art. Inthis configuration, the spring 568 is urging the latch slide 553outwards towards the side rail 520 a. To release the latch 552 and allowthe folding cover assembly 530 to be lifted off and removed from theside rail 520, the release cord 554 e is pulled. When the release cord554 e has been pulled, retracting the latch slide 553 and compressingthe spring 568, and disengaging the engaging portion 553 b from the siderail 520 a and the containment bracket 525 a, and releasing the latch552, the configuration is as illustrated in phantom in FIG. 2F. The siderail 520 b preferably has a mirror-image configuration to the side rail520 a, with a side rail front portion 521 c and side rail rear portion521 d, and a containment bracket 525 b functioning in a similar manner.

Some embodiments include the alternative side rail 520 c which includesa plurality of sections 521 as illustrated in FIG. 2G; the side rail 520c preferably includes side rail front portion 521 a and side rail rearportion 521 b. The containment bracket 525 a is preferably secured tothe side rail 520 c by a fastener assembly 526, which may include a bolt516 e, nut 516 f, washer 516 g, or other fasteners known in the art. Inthese embodiments, in addition to its function to retain the latch 552as previously described, the containment bracket 525 a preferablyfacilitates securement of the side rail front portion 521 a and siderail rear portion 521 b together. One advantage of the “split” side rail520 c is that storage and shipment of the side rail 520 can be morepractical; a one-piece side rail would be long and in some cases couldbe more difficult or expensive to transport, for example. The side rail520 d preferably has a mirror-image configuration to the side rail 520c, with a side rail front portion 521 c and side rail rear portion 521d, and a containment bracket 525 b functioning in a similar manner asthe similar elements just described. The alternative side rail 520 c,containment bracket 525 a, and fastener assembly 526 are illustrated inexploded view in FIG. 2H. Preferably, a tether 580 is attached to thecontainment bracket 525 b and is releasably secured by a link 581 whendesired to a ring 582 that is secured to the support bow 550 e; thisarrangement provides additional stabilization of the folding coverassembly 530 when the folding cover assembly 530 is secured to the siderails 520 a, 520 b and will secure the folding cover assembly 530 to theside rail 520 if other attachments fail.

In describing preferred embodiments of the present invention in thedescription that follows, it will be appreciated that reference will bemade either to the “driver's side” or “passenger side” or to the “front”or to the “rear” of the folding tonneau cover apparatus or portionsthereof in a manner that is consistent with the orientation of thefolding tonneau cover apparatus when it is secured to a vehicle asenvisioned, so that the “rear” of a folding tonneau cover apparatus orportion thereof will be consistent with what is seen when one is lookingat the rear of such a vehicle when the folding tonneau cover apparatusor portion(s) thereof are attached to such a vehicle as envisionedherein, or such portion thereof which is closer to the rear. The“driver's side” refers to the side corresponding to the side of thevehicle typically used by the driver to operate the vehicle in NorthAmerica, and the “passenger side” refers to the side opposite the“driver's side”. For clarity, the “length” of the folding tonneau coverapparatus, the folding cover assembly, the hinges, and the panelsdescribed herein, refers to a measurement of the “front” to “rear”dimension, since the pickup truck and the cargo box are typically longerin that direction. Similarly, “width” of the folding tonneau coverapparatus, the folding cover assembly, the hinges, and the panelsdescribed herein, generally refers to the “driver's side” to “passengerside” direction, since the pickup truck and the cargo box are typicallyshorter in that direction. However, these terminologies, that are usedas a matter of convenience, are not intended to be limiting; the foldingtonneau cover apparatus could be shorter in the “length” direction thanin the “width” direction, for example. For other items such as supportbows and sidebars, “length” has the normal meaning, referring to thelonger dimension or to the dimension along an extruded shape, forexample; any potential confusion in terminology can be eliminated byexamination of the various Figures in the accompanying drawings.

Referring now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the release cord 554 a near the rearend of the rear panel 536 a passes through cord guides 555, 555 a, 555b. FIG. 3B is an enlarged partial section view of the driver's side endportion of the support bow 550 a as indicated in FIG. 2A. The cordguides 555 are preferably molded and made of a strong polymer such asNylon, which may be reinforced with fiberglass or other embeddedmaterial to strengthen the polymer. In alternate embodiments, the cordguides 555 can made of polymeric, metallic or ceramic materials usingthree-D printing methods or three-D etching methods or other additive orsubtractive machining process. One of the standoffs 558 can be seen inFIG. 3A, and will be described in more detail later.

As seen in FIG. 3B, the latch 552 includes latch slide 553 having anengaging portion 553 b which extends forward to engage the lip 524 ofthe side rail 520 a, so as to secure the respective panel 530 to theside rail 520 a. The latch slide 553 preferably includes a stiffpolymer, composite, or metal, although other materials and combinationscan be used. Preferably, the latch slide 553 includesfiberglass-reinforced nylon. The latch slide 553 is biased by a biasingmember or spring 556 towards the side rail 520 a so that the engagingportion 553 b engages the side rail 520 a to form a securedconfiguration in which the respective panel 530 is restricted from beinglifted up from the cargo box 5; in this example, the spring 556 is acompression spring, but an extension spring, or an elastic element, orother known elements could alternatively be used to bias the latch slide553 towards the side rail 520 a so that the engaging portion 553 bengages the side rail 520 a so that the latch 552 is in the securedconfiguration. In this embodiment, the spring 556 is held between thelatch slide 553 and a spring retainer assembly 557. The spring retainerassembly 557 is secured in the desired location in the support bow 550a. The side rails 520 a and 520 b preferably include extruded metal, andhave a side rail engagement portion 522 a (FIG. 3B), arranged toapproximate a portion of the sidewall 6 a, 6 b of the pickup truck 2.The clamp 514 is shown in detail in FIG. 3B. The clamps 514 preferablyinclude aluminum, although other metals or alloys or polymers or othercomposite materials can be used. Clamps 514 preferably have an outermember 516 a and an inner member 516 b which are tightened towards eachother and held as an assembly on the sidewall 6 a by a fastener assembly516 d which preferably includes a bolt 516 e, a washer 516 f, and a nut516 g. Preferably, inner member 516 b has a clamp engagement portion 516c which, together with side rail engagement portion 522 a of side rail520 a, aids in securing the clamps 514 in place on the side rail 520 a.Preferably, the clamps 514 are arranged and tightened to secure the siderail 520 a to the sidewall 6 a, with a sidewall gasket 522 c arrangedbetween the side rail 520 a and the sidewall 6 a as illustrated. A bowend cap 565 is located at the end of the support bow 550 a. A releasecord 554 and a cord guide 555 are shown, and will be described infurther detail herein. In the present example, the side rail engagementportion 522 a is a generally vertically-oriented portion whichconfigured to be located adjacent a similarly vertically-orientedportion of the sidewall 6 a, 6 b. In the example of FIG. 3B, a portionof the sidewall 6 a of a cargo box 5 of a Chevrolet Silverado pickuptruck is illustrated; however, other sidewalls of other cargo boxes ofother pickup trucks and the like can be accommodated, by incorporating aside rail engagement portion 522 a along the length of the side rails520 a and 520 b that are appropriately configured and oriented. In thisexample, the cargo box 5 of the pickup truck 2 includes a sidewall cap 6e, but other cargo boxes 5 lack a sidewall cap. A sidewall 6 a andsidewall cap 6 e are similarly illustrated in subsequent drawingsherein, including FIGS. 4B 6B, 7B, 8B and 9B. Preferably, the side railengagement portion 522 a has a side rail engagement feature 522 b, suchas ridges, knurling, surface patterns or textures, or other featureswhich aid in securing the clamps 514. Preferably, a sidewall gasket 522c preferably made of polymeric material is located between the side railengagement portion 522 a and the sidewall 6 a; the sidewall gasket 522 ccan provide protection against damage to the sidewall 6 a by abrasionagainst the side rail 520 a. Other flexible material can also be used.The sidewall gasket 522 c can provide leak resistance to prevent water,dust, or other debris from passing into the cargo box 5 along the siderail engagement portion 522 a. The side rail 520 a has a flange or siderail lip 524 along the length of the side rail 520 a. The side rail lip524 provides support for the folding cover assembly 530. In addition,the side rail lip 524 provides a feature for engagement of the engagingportion 553 b of the latches 552. The driver's side portion of thesupport bow 550 a is shown in FIG. 3B; the other end of the support bow550 a (toward the passenger side) has a mirror-image configuration, witha latch 552 engaging side rail 520 b, and side rail 520 b being attachedto sidewall 6 b in a similar manner.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B, when it is desired to release thelatches 552 at the rear end of the rear panel 536 a, the release cord554 a can be pulled, which will retract each of the latches 552 againstthe force of the respective biasing member or spring 568. Typically, therelease cord 554 a will be pulled as illustrated in FIG. 4A, by a driver(not shown) who has walked to the rear of the cargo box 5 and has openedthe tailgate 6 d and reaches in to access and pull the release cord 554a. When the release cord 554 a is pulled, the engaging portion 553 b ofthe latch 552 is retracted away from the lip 524 of the side rail 520 aas shown in FIG. 4B, releasing the latch 552 from the side rail 520 aand allowing the rear portion of the rear panel 536 a to be lifted upfrom the side rail 520 a. The cord guides 555 adjacent to the latches552 help to maintain alignment of the ends of the release cord 554 a sothat the latches 552 are retracted in alignment with the support bow 550a, to avoid excessive friction, wear and potential binding. The driver'sside portion of the support bow 550 a is shown in FIG. 4B; the other endof the support bow 550 a (toward the passenger side) has a mirror-imageconfiguration, and when the release cord 554 a is pulled, the latches552 at both ends of the support bow 550 a are retracted, so that therear end of the rear panel 536 a can be lifted up from both side rails520 a and 520 b.

Referring now also to FIGS. 5A-5D, which illustrate a portion of thefolding cover assembly 530 in schematic cross section views as indicatedby the line 5A-5A in FIG. 2A, each of the hinges 544 (544 a, 544 b, and544 c) preferably includes the flexible hinge body 545 a which iselongated and extends between the driver's side 3 a and the passengerside 3 b of the cargo box 5 when the folding cover assembly 530 isunfolded to cover the cargo box 5. The flexible hinge body 545 a has ahinge longitudinal axis 545 b which is oriented along the length of thehinge body 545 a, and a hinge body profile 545 c, which is the shape ofa transverse vertical cross section taken perpendicular to the hingelongitudinal axis 545 b. The hinge body profile 545 c is preferablyuniform along the hinge longitudinal axis 545 b of the hinge body 545 a.In embodiments having more than one flexible hinge 544, each of theflexible hinges 544 can have a similar hinge body profile 545 c.Alternatively, the hinge body profile 545 c of the flexible hinge bodies545 a can differ from the profile of at least one other of the flexiblehinge bodies 545 a.

The folding tonneau cover assembly 530 of the present invention mayinclude one of several different hinge body embodiments 545 a, 545 a′,545 a″, 545 a′″ (see also FIGS. 17C-18F). The first embodiment 545 a,shown in FIGS. 5A-5C and FIGS. 17A-17D, is a dual durometer hinge havinga more flexible polymer material 547 c making up the central portion 546a and a portion of the intermediate portion 546 d, 546 e adjacent to andon each side of the central portion 546 a, and a more rigid or stiffpolymer material 547 d making up the side portions 546 b, 546 c and aportion of the intermediate portion 546 d, 546 e on each side of thecentral portion 546 a of the first embodiment of the hinge body 545 a.The first embodiment of the hinge body 545 a will take more than oneform depending on the format of the adhesive material attached to thehinge body for the purpose of sealing and sealing the hinge body 545 ato the underside of the respective rigid panels 536 on either side ofthe respective hinge 544 a, 544 b, 544 c. In reference to the firstembodiment of the hinge body 545 a shown in FIG. 5A, hinge body 545 a issecured to the underside of the respective rigid panels 546 by anadhesive material 570 a described elsewhere herein. In reference to thehinge body 545 a shown in FIG. 5B, hinge body 545 a is secured to theunderside of the rigid panels 536 a, 536 b, respectively, by an adhesivemember 571 a described elsewhere herein. In reference to the hinge body545 a shown in FIG. 5C, the hinge body 545 a is secured to the undersideof the respective rigid panels 536 a, 536 b with a three-part adhesivemember having first, second, and third layers 572 a, 572 b, 572 c, asfurther described elsewhere herein. The first embodiment is also shownin FIGS. 17A-17D in the first adhesive format employing the adhesivematerial 570 a.

A further embodiment of the hinge body 545 a′ having similar adhesive570 a for sealing and securing the hinge body 545 a′ to the underside ofrigid panels 536 but having only a single durometer polymer design isshown in FIG. 17E. This single-durometer embodiment of the hinge body545 a′ is also shown in FIG. 18B, but with a different adhesive 571format. A further embodiment of the hinge body 545 a″ is shown in FIG.18C and is generally the same as the single-durometer hinge body 545 a′shown in FIG. 18B, except that the central portion 546″ of the hingebody 545 a″ does not include a concave upper surface like hinge body 545a′, but has instead a flat central portion 546″ in which water will notpool or run off along the length of the hinge body toward the sidewallsof the pickup truck 2. The hinge body 545 a′″ shown in FIGS. 17F-17H andFIGS. 18D-18F is also a single-durometer hinge body made of a flexiblepolymer material 547 c and it does not need an adhesive member to secureit to the underside of the rigid panels, because the close proximity ofthe rigid panel 536 and the support bow 550, which has ha hinge supportflange 586 having a flange lip 587, which cooperate to form a partialenclosure 592, described elsewhere herein, which will hold the hingebody 545 a′″ in place on each side of the hinge body 545 a′″ as shown inFIGS. 17G, 17H, and 18D-18F. The inventors have found that even whenadhesive 570 a, 5701 a, or other adhesives or adhesive members asdescribed herein are not required for securement of the hinge body 545a, 545 a′, 545 a″, 545 a′″ to the partial enclosure 592, such adhesivesor adhesive members can be advantageously included to provide a sealbetween the hinge body and the respective adjacent panels 536 againstintrusion by moisture or debris into the cargo box 5 when the foldingcover apparatus 530 is unfolded and covering the cargo box 5.

The flexible hinge body 545 a′″ preferably includes a single polymermaterial 547 a, and provides an effective barrier against influx ofmoisture, precipitation or debris into the cargo box 5 between theadjacent rigid panels 536 when the folding cover assembly 530 isunfolded and in place covering the cargo box 5. The hinge body polymermaterial 547 a preferably includes an elastomeric polymer material 547 band more preferably includes a thermoplastic polymer. The elastomericpolymer material 547 b is preferably extruded to form an elongatedstructure having the desired hinge body profile 545 c. Examples of thepreferable elastomeric polymer material 547 b include Sarlink® TPERV-2250D BLK 111 thermoplastic elastomer and Sarlink® TPV 5765Bthermoplastic vulcanizate, both available from Teknor Apex Company,Pawtucket, R.I.

Each flexible hinge body 545 a preferably includes the two side portions546 b and 546 c, and the central portion 546 a located between the twoside portions 546 b and 546 c; each flexible hinge body 545 a preferablyincludes the two intermediate portions 546 d and 546 e, each one of theintermediate portions 546 d and 546 e located between the centralportion 546 a and one of the two respective side portions 546 b and 546c. The central portion 546 a, side portions 546 b and 546 c, andintermediate portions 546 d and 546 e of the flexible hinge body 545 apreferably extend along the length of the flexible hinge body 545 a, andthe hinge thickness 545 d of the central, side, and intermediateportions 546 a-546 e together at least partially define the hinge bodyprofile 545 c. Each of the two side portions 546 b and 546 c ispreferably secured to a respective adjacent rigid panel 536. When it isdesired to fold up the folding tonneau cover assembly 530, one of theadjacent rigid panels 536 is lifted up and folded towards the other ofthe adjacent rigid panels 536, and the central portion 546 a bends tofunction as a hinge as further described herein.

In some embodiments, such as schematically illustrated in FIGS. 5A-5C,the flexible hinge body 545 a includes more than one polymeric materialsuch as those described herein; for example, the flexible hinge body 545a may include a softer or lower-durometer elastomeric polymer material547 c and a harder or higher-durometer elastomeric polymer material 547d. The central portion 546 a preferably includes the softer elastomericpolymer material 547 c, and the side portions 546 b and 546 c, which aresecured to the rigid panels 536 as stated, preferably include the harderelastomeric polymer material 547 d. In such embodiments, a transition ormixing of the materials preferably occurs in the intermediate portions546 d and 546 e. This arrangement preferably provides a structure withthe central portion 546 a being more flexible in bending than theintermediate portions 546 d and 546 e and the side portions 546 b and546 c, so that bending of the flexible hinge body 545 a preferentiallyoccurs in the central portion 546 a, although some flexing and bendingcan occur in other portions of the flexible hinge 544 in addition to thecentral portion. This arrangement is schematically illustrated in FIG.5C, which shows the hinge illustrated in FIG. 5B somewhat bent. In thedrawings, which illustrate embodiments of the hinge body 545 a havingmore than one polymeric material, the intermediate portions 546 d and546 e have a transition between polymeric materials schematicallyindicated by a partially diagonal line in the drawings. As justdescribed, the transition between materials may be gradual with a mixingof the polymeric materials in the intermediate portions, which willgenerally occur during either a molding process or an extrusion process,either of which could be used to manufacture a dual-durometer hingebody, so, for that reason, the line is not intended to define a precisesudden transition, but rather just generally indicate that therespective intermediate portion includes a transition between thedifferent polymeric materials that have different durometers. Dependingon the process and mixing of materials during fabrication of the hingebody, the transition can be more sudden or more gradual. The transitionbetween polymeric materials will generally be located in the respectiveintermediate portions 546 d and 546 e as indicated by the schematictransition line shown in these portions.

For example, in one preferred embodiment, the central portion 546 aincludes the softer elastomeric polymer material 547 c, one example ofwhich is Sarlink® TPE RV-2250D BLK 111 thermoplastic elastomer, and theside portions 546 b and 546 c include the harder or higher-durometerelastomeric polymer material 547 d, one example of which is Sarlink® TPV5765B thermoplastic vulcanizate. These materials can be extrudedtogether to form the disclosed structure, with a mixing of thesematerials occurring in the intermediate portions 546 d and 546 e. Thethickness 545 d of the various portions of the flexible hinge body 545 acan also affect the bending properties, but the variation of polymericmaterials as just described can be useful in facilitating bending of thehinge 544 in the central portion 546 a, which in use is located betweenthe adjacent panels 536, and in facilitating securement of the sideportions 546 b and 546 c to the adjacent panels 536.

While forming the flexible hinge body 545 a by extrusion ofthermoplastic elastomers such as those listed above is preferred, othermaterials and fabrication methods can be utilized. For example, theflexible hinge body 545 a can include a structure fabricated by moldingor other additive or subtractive manufacturing process. The flexiblehinge body 545 a may have additional material added, such as reinforcingfibers or filaments (not shown) adhered to or incorporated into theflexible hinge body 545 a, including cloth-inserted, cloth-reinforced,fiberglass-reinforced, and fiber-reinforced polymer materials. The hingebody polymer material 547 a can include a vinyl material, natural orsynthetic rubber or other flexible polymeric material, EPDM rubber,neoprene rubber, nitrile rubber, latex, silicone rubber, polyurethanematerial, or other polymer materials known in the art, or combinationsof materials. The flexible hinge body 545 a preferably includes aflexible material that can withstand deformation without failure due tocracking or breakage to allow bending of the hinge 544 to fold up thefolding cover assembly 530, and that is moisture-resistant to avoidleakage into the cargo box 5.

As stated above, adhesive 570 a is preferably located between each sideportion 546 b and the respective rigid panel 536 as illustrated in FIG.5A to protect against passage of debris or precipitation into the cargobox 5; the adhesive 570 a can also aid in securement of the flexiblehinge 544 to the respective rigid panel 536. The adhesive 570 a caninclude known adhesives and sealant materials which can be used toprotect against passage of debris or precipitation between the rigidpanel 536 and the respective flexible hinge 544 or to secure theflexible hinge 544 to the respective rigid panel 536. In some preferredembodiments, the adhesive 570 a includes a double-sided adhesive tape571 a, which preferably includes an acrylic foam material 572 a, withadhesive layer 572 b arranged on one side of the acrylic foam material572 a, and adhesive layer 572 c arranged on the other side of theacrylic foam materia1572 a, for example. For example, the double-sidedadhesive tape 571 a can be 3M 5933 from 3M, St. Paul, Minn. (“thermaladhesive tape”), the adhesive layer 572 b includes heat-activatedadhesive and an adhesive layer 572 c includes pressure-sensitiveadhesive which may be protected by a release strip (not shown) until itis desired to activate the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 572 c.Preferably, the adhesive layer 572 b (in this example, heat-activatedadhesive) is aligned with the flexible hinge body 545 a while theheat-activated adhesive is activated to adhere the double-sided adhesivetape 571 a to the flexible hinge body 545 a; the flexible hinge body 545a together with the attached double-sided adhesive tape 571 a issubsequently aligned with the rigid panel 536 and the release strip isremoved. Preferably, after the adhesive layer 572 c is aligned with thepanel 536, the flexible hinge body 545 a is attached to the rigid panel536 by activating the adhesive layer 572 c (in this example,pressure-sensitive adhesive). The adjacent rigid panel 536 is similarlyattached to the flexible hinge body 545 a with double-sided adhesivetape 571 a forming the structure of hinge 544 illustrated in FIG. 5B.The flexible hinge body 545 a allows the hinge 544 to take a flat oropen configuration as illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, or to flex or bendas illustrated in FIGS. 5C, 7C, and other figures herein, providing aflexible hinge 544 that allows the folding cover assembly 530 to fold asillustrated throughout the Figures and described herein, with rigidpanels 536 folding up and rotating towards other rigid panels 536 asshown. Preferably, the flexible hinge body 545 a is adhered to therespective bottom or underside 538 of the rigid panels 536(specifically, the underside 538 a-538 d off respective adjacent panelsof 536 a-536 d as described herein) of the folding cover assembly 530 asshown. In the preferred arrangements discussed herein, the hinges 544are securely attached to the respective rigid panels 536 and are sealedto prevent water or debris from entering the cargo box through thefolding cover assembly 530 at the hinges 544, and are generallyimpervious to environmental factors such as precipitation, wind, andtemperatures to which a typical cargo box 5 would be exposed.

The support bows 550 are also schematically illustrated in FIGS. 5A-5C.The support bows preferably include a bow main portion 584 including agenerally C-shaped channels with a bow upper portion 585 configured forattachment to the bottom surface 538 of the respective panel 536 andoriented with a channel opening 566 c at the bottom. The support bows550 which are located at the flexible hinges 544 preferably include thehinge support flange 586, 586 a, 586 b; the support bows which arelocated at the flexible hinges 544 preferably also include the flangelip 587, 587 a, 587 b.

As stated above, the support bows 550 are secured to the respectivepanel 536. The support bows 550 are preferably located at the bottomsurface 538 of the respective panel 536, and near the front edge 541 bor rear edge 541 c of the respective panel 536. The support bows 550 arepreferably secured to the bottom surface 538 of the respective panel 536by an adhesive 570 b, which may include a layer or coating of adhesiveor a double-sided adhesive tape 571 b, for example. Alternatively, athermal or hot-melt or chemically activated adhesive, or a mechanicalattachment, or a weld, or a combination, can be used to attach thesupport bows 550, to the respective panels 536. The double-sidedadhesive tape 571 b preferably includes an acrylic foam material 572 dwith adhesive layer 572 e arranged on one side of the acrylic foammaterial 572 d and adhesive layer 572 f arranged on the other side ofthe acrylic foam material 572 d, for example. Preferably, the adhesive570 b includes a double-sided adhesive tape 571 b such as 3M CV62F from3M, St. Paul, Minn. (“pressure adhesive tape”), wherein the double-sidedadhesive tape 571 b is an acrylic foam tape having an adhesive layer 572e which includes pressure-sensitive adhesive and having an adhesivelayer 572 f which includes pressure-sensitive adhesive which may beprotected by a release strip (not shown) until it is desired to activatethe pressure-sensitive adhesive, adhesive layer 572 f. Preferably, theadhesive layer 572 e (in this example, pressure-sensitive adhesive) isaligned with and adhered to the upper surface 566 d of the support bow550 to adhere the double-sided adhesive tape 571 b to the support bow550; the support bow 550 together with the attached double-sidedadhesive tape 571 b is subsequently aligned with the panel 536 and therelease strip is removed. Preferably, the adhesive layer 572 f is thenaligned with the panel 536 and the support bow 550 is attached to therespective panel 536 by activating the adhesive layer 572 f (in thisexample, pressure-sensitive adhesive). While the arrangement justdescribed is a preferred configuration, any of the adhesive layers justdescribed can include heat-activated adhesive or pressure-sensitiveadhesive, and the acrylic foam material 572 a, 572 d is also preferablebut not always required. For example, in alternative configurations, asingle layer of adhesive could be used, similar to the arrangementschematically illustrated in FIG. 5A. Other pressure-activated acrylicadhesive foam tape can be used, such as Lamatek 5357 from Lamatek, Inc.,West Deptford, N.J. The sidebars or handles 559 are preferably alsoattached to the bottom surface or underside 538 of the respective panels536, preferably in a similar manner as that just described for thesupport bow 550. Although adhesive 570 b can be applied at selectedportions of the length of the support bow 550 or the sidebar 559,adhesive 570 b is preferably applied along substantially the entirelength of the support bow 550 and the sidebar 559, to enhance stabilityand to minimize unwanted vibrations. Alternatively, the sidebars 559 andsupport bows 550 can be attached to the panels 536 with adhesives suchas glue, or with fasteners, or spot welds.

In some apparatus and methods embodiments, the folding cover assembly530 folds in stages or steps; a preferred embodiment is schematicallyillustrated in FIG. 5D. In this embodiment, starting from the unfoldedor closed configuration of the folding cover assembly 530 (configuration1), the hinge 544 a flexes to allow the rear panel 536 a to fold up,passing through 90 degrees (configuration 2) towards the middle panel536 b, and fold over onto the middle panel 536 b (configuration 3). Thehinge 544 b flexes to allow the middle panel 536 b (together with therear panel 536 a which is folded onto the middle panel 536 b) to foldup, passing through 90 degrees (configuration 4) towards the spacerpanel 536 d, passing through a point at which standoffs 558 contact thefront panel (configuration 5). The hinge 544 b flexes back towards 90degrees as the hinge 544 c flexes to allow the spacer panel 536 d tofold up, and continue to fold over (together with the rear panel 536 awhich is folded onto the middle panel 536 b, and the middle panel 536 b)towards the front panel 536 c (configuration 6), until the folding coverassembly 30 is folded up (configuration 7). Note that FIG. 5D is aschematic overview of the general folding of the folding cover assembly530; the various configurations are further illustrated and describedelsewhere herein in greater detail.

An alternate configuration of an alternate folding cover assembly 530′folded up is schematically illustrated in FIG. 5E. In some embodiments,the front panel 536 c′ is noticeably longer than panels 536 a and 536 b.In some embodiments, the spacer panel 536 d is oriented approximatelyvertically when the folding cover assembly 530 is folded up, and thefront panel 536 c simply extends farther frontward than the middle panel536 b and the rear panel 536 a. In the example illustrated in FIG. 5E,the spacer panel 536 d is correspondingly longer to accommodate thelengths of the panels 536 a, 536 b, and 536 c′ as illustrated. In thiscase, the spacer panel 536 d is noticeably non-vertical when the foldingcover assembly 530′ is folded up. The alternate folding cover assembly530′ also preferably includes corresponding flexible hinges 544 a, 544b, 544 c and standoffs 558.

Another alternate configuration of an alternate folding cover assembly530″ folded up is schematically illustrated in FIG. 5F, similar to theillustration of FIG. 5E. In some embodiments, the front panel 536 c″ isnoticeably shorter than panels 536 a and 536 b. In some embodiments, thespacer panel 536 d is oriented approximately vertically when the foldingcover assembly 530 is folded up, and the middle panel 536 b and the rearpanel 536 a simply extend farther frontward than the front panel 536 c.In the example illustrated in FIG. 5F, the spacer panel 536 d iscorrespondingly longer to accommodate the lengths of the panels 536 a,536 b, and 536 c″ as illustrated. In this case, the spacer panel isnoticeably non-vertical when the folding cover assembly 530″ is foldedup. The alternate folding cover assembly 530″ also preferably includescorresponding flexible hinges 544 a, 544 b, 544 c and standoffs 558.

In the examples illustrated in FIGS. 5E and 5F, the spacer panel 536 dcan be oriented preferably from about zero to about 60 degrees from avertical orientation; the orientation is determined by the variouslengths of the panels 536 and a standoff distance 561 a (see FIG. 14C).When the cover assembly is in the fully folded position, the top surface537 d of the spacer panel 536 d can stand generally at an angle of fromabout 30 to about 150 degrees to the top surface 537 c of the frontpanel 536 c, preferably from about 40 to about 140 degrees to the topsurface 537 c of the front panel 536 c; more preferably from about 50 toabout 130 degrees to the top surface 537 c of the front panel 536 c;even more preferably from about 60 to about 120 degrees to the topsurface 537 c of the front panel 536 c, and even more preferably fromabout 80 to about 100 degrees to the top surface 537 c of the frontpanel 536 c, generally depending upon the length of the front panel 536c, which can be varied in various embodiments of the cover assembly. Inthe preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the top surface 537 d of thespacer panel 536 d will generally reside at an angle of about 90 degreesto the top surface 537 c of the front panel 536 c.

Referring now also to FIGS. 20A-20B, the length 539 a of the rear panel536 a is preferably somewhat smaller than the length 539 b of the middlepanel 536 b so that the rear panel 536 a does not interfere with thehinges 544 b, 544 c, support bow 550 e, or other nearby structures whenthe folding cover assembly 530 is folded up or unfolded. If the length539 a of the rear panel 536 a is too much smaller than the length 539 bof the middle panel 536 b, the standoffs 558 attached to the support bow550 a will be farther removed from the respective edges of the frontpanel 536 c and the middle panel 536 b and may not provide the desiredsupport in the folded up configuration. More preferably, the length 539a of the rear panel 536 a is from about 0.25 inch to about 8 inchessmaller than the length 539 b of the middle panel 536 b. Still morepreferably, the length 539 a of the rear panel 536 a is from about 0.5inch to about 2 inches smaller than the length 539 b of the middle panel536 b. Even more preferably, the length 539 a of the rear panel 536 a isabout 0.75 inch smaller than the length 539 b of the middle panel 536 b.

Preferably, the length 539 d of the spacer panel 536 d is large enoughto accommodate the hinges 544 b and 544 c without interference with thesupport bow 550 e, but is preferably not significantly larger thanrequired to accommodate the hinges 544 b, 544 c and support bow 550 e sothat the stored profile of the folding cover assembly 530 is minimized,and the folded profile when the folding cover assembly 530 is folded upbut remains attached to the side rails 520 a, 520 b as illustrated inFIG. 10D is minimized, which is believed to reduce any tendency for thefolding cover assembly 530 to catch wind when the folding cover assembly530 is folded up but remains attached to the side rails 520 a, 520 b andwhen the truck 2 is in motion. In some embodiments, the length 539 d ofthe spacer panel 536 d is no greater than about one-third the lengths539 a, 539 b, 539 c of the other respective panels 536 a, 536 b, 536 c.

Preferably, the length 539 b of the middle panel 536 b is somewhatsmaller than the length 539 c of the front panel 536 c so that thedriver or operator 8 can easily grasp the storage straps 543 a and strapbrackets 543 b, when the folding cover assembly 530 is in the folded upconfiguration illustrated in FIG. 10A, to hook the strap brackets 543 bin the bracket slots 543 c at the front of the front panel 536 c asdescribed below and illustrated in FIG. 10A-10D. If the length 539 c ofthe front panel 536 c is longer than the length 539 b of the middlepanel 536 b, the folded up configuration of the folding cover assembly530, as illustrated in FIG. 10D, will cover a larger portion of thecargo box 5 so that there is a more limited opening to the cargo box 5when the folding cover assembly 530 is folded up and secured on thetruck 2 as illustrated in FIG. 10D. More preferably, the length 539 b ofthe middle panel 536 b is from about 0.25 inch to about 6 inches smallerthan the length 539 c of the front panel 536 c. Still more preferably,the length 539 b of the middle panel 536 b is from about 1 inch to about3 inches smaller than the length 539 c of the front panel 536 c. Evenmore preferably, the length 539 b of the middle panel 536 b is about1.733 inches smaller than the length 539 c of the front panel 536 c.

Once the latches 552 at both ends of the support bow 550 a are retractedas shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B and described above, the rear end of therear panel 536 a can be lifted up from both side rails 520 a and 520 b,bending the hinge 544 a as illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B. As the rearpanel 536 a is lifted up, hooks 562 at the ends of the support bow 550at the front of the rear panel 536 a disengage from the respectivecatches 564; specifically, hook 562 a disengages from catch 564 aattached to side rail 520 a, and hook 562 b disengages from catch 564 battached to side rail 520 b. The structure and function of the hooks 562and catches 564 are described in further detail elsewhere herein (see,for example, FIG. 19A).

The rear panel 536 a is rotated further, onto the middle panel 536 b asillustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B. At this point, the middle panel 536 bcan be lifted from the side rails 520 a and 520 b, with the middle panel536 b (together with the rear panel 536 a which is folded onto themiddle panel 536 b) pivoting upwards and frontwards, bending the hinge544 b. A portion of the folding cover assembly 530 in schematic crosssection view similar to the views of FIGS. 5A and 5B is illustrated inFIG. 7A, which shows the hinge 544 a folded in the configuration ofFIGS. 7A and 7B.

With lifting and rotating of the middle panel 536 b together with therear panel 536 a until the middle panel 536 b is approximately vertical,the configuration is as depicted in FIG. 8A-8B. With continued liftingand rotating of the middle panel 536 b frontwards, the middle panel 536b together with the rear panel 536 a rotates frontwards towards thefront panel 536 c. Preferably, the folding cover assembly 530 includesstandoffs 558, located on the underside 538 a of the rear panel 536 c.The standoffs 558 can be attached to the bottom side of the rear panel536 a or attached to other structures such as support bows 550 orhandles 559; in the example illustrated in FIGS. 8A-8E, there are fourstandoffs 558, two of which are attached to each of two sidebars orhandles 559 on the underside 538 a of the rear panel 536 c. Thestandoffs 558 are preferably located so that two are proximate the frontedge 541 b of the rear panel 536 a, and two are proximate the rear edge541 c of the rear panel 536 a. The standoffs 558, and a preferredattachment of the standoffs 558 to the handles 559, are describedfurther below, including with reference to FIGS. 14A-14C. Through thefolding and rotating of the middle panel 536 b and the rear panel 536 aas just described, the standoffs 558 proximate the rear edge 541 c ofthe rear panel 536 a contact the top surface 537 c of the front panel 36c as shown in FIG. 8C. The standoffs 558 help to maintain a spacedrelationship between the rear panel 536 a and the front panel 536 c.With continued rotating of the middle panel 536 b (together with thefront panel 536 a) the hinge 544 c bends and the spacer panel 536 dlifts off the side rails 520 a and 520 b as illustrated in FIG. 8D. Withcontinued rotating of the middle panel 536 b frontwards, together withthe rear panel 536 a and the spacer panel 536 d, and pivoting andsliding of the standoffs 558, the middle panel 536 b, the rear panel 536a, and the spacer panel 536 d rotate progressively farther frontwardstowards the front panel 536 c, as illustrated in FIGS. 8E, until thestandoffs 558 all contact the front panel 536 c (FIG. 9A). During thisfolding of the folding cover assembly 530, the hinges 544 b and 544 cflex as the middle panel 536 b, the rear panel 536 a, and the spacerpanel 536 d rotate towards the front panel 536 c as schematicallyillustrated in FIG. 8F and 10E. Depending on forces applied by thedriver or other operator 8, the hinges 544 b and 544 c can flex to passthrough various increasing or decreasing angles. Most commonly, however,the angles will vary in the following manner. Referring to FIGS. 8A,8C-8E, and 10D, during the folding up of the folding cover assembly 530,the angle A between the middle panel 536 b and the spacer panel 536 d(which is about 180 degrees before beginning the folding up of themiddle panel 536 b onto the front panel 536 c, as in the configurationillustrated in FIG. 7A) initially decreases to angle A1 which is about90 degrees as shown in FIG. 8A, then decreases past 90 degrees to angleA2 at which point the standoffs 558 contact the top surface 537 c of thefront panel 536 c as shown in FIG. 8C; angle A2 may be about 35 degrees,but may be somewhat larger or smaller than about 35 degrees depending onthe standoff distance 561 a (FIG. 14C) and a setback distance 561 b(FIG. 10D) between the standoff 558 proximate the rear edge 541 c of therear panel 536 a and the rear edge 541 c of the rear panel 536 a, andalso depending on the relative lengths 539 a and 539 b of the rear panel536 a and the middle panel 536 b, respectively. Angle B between thespacer panel 536 d and the front panel 536 c (which is about 180 degreesbefore beginning the folding up of the folding cover assembly 530, as inthe configuration illustrated in FIG. 7A) is shown as angle B1 in theconfiguration of FIG. 8A as about 180 degrees, and is shown as angle B2in the configuration of FIG. 8C, preferably remaining at about 180degrees until the standoffs 558 contact the top surface 537 c of thefront panel 536 c as shown in FIG. 8C. Angle C between the rear panel536 b and the front panel 536 c (which is about 180 degrees beforebeginning the folding up of the folding cover assembly 530, as in theconfiguration illustrated in FIG. 7A) initially decreases to angle C1which is about 90 degrees as shown in FIG. 8A, then decreases past 90degrees to angle C2 at which point the standoffs 558 contact the topsurface 537 c of the front panel 536 c as shown in FIG. 8C. Withcontinued rotation of the rear panel 536 a and middle panel 536 b andspacer panel 536 d, depending on the forces and manipulations applied bythe driver or operator 8, the angle A may remain about the same or mayincrease again as the angle B begins to decrease and the angle Ccontinues to decrease, as shown as angles A3, B3, and C3 in FIG. 8D.With still continued rotation of the rear panel 536 a and middle panel536 b and spacer panel 536 d, the angles A and B continue to approachabout 90 degrees as the angle C continues to approach zero degrees asshown as angles A4, B4, and C4 in FIG. 8E. When the folding coverassembly 530 is completely folded, the angles A and B are preferablyabout 90 degrees and the angle C is preferably about zero degrees, asshown as angles A5, B5 and C5 in FIG. 10D, with the rear panel 536 a,the middle panel 536 b, and the front panel 536 c being approximatelyparallel to each other, and the spacer panel 536 d approximatelyvertical, oriented at about 90 degrees with respect to the panels 536 a,536 b, and 536 d.

As the folding cover assembly 530 is folded up, the angle C between therear panel 536 a and the front panel 536 c decreases towards about zerodegrees, passing through the configurations depicted in FIGS. 8C-8E. Forembodiments in which the folded configuration of the folding coverassembly 530 has the rear panel 536 a folded so that it is parallel tothe front panel 536 c, the approximate relationship between the anglesA, B, and C is believed to be given by the equation (angle C)=(angleA)+(angle B)−(180 degrees).

At this point, as illustrated in FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 10A, the foldingcover assembly 530 is folded up, but is still attached to the side rails520 a and 520 b, with the latches 552 c and 552 d (proximate the ends ofthe support bow 550 f) engaged with the side rail lip 524 of the siderails 520 a and 520 b, respectively, and the hooks 562 e and 652 fproximate ends of the support bow 550 g engaged with the catches 564 eand 564 f, respectively, as illustrated in FIGS. 10C-11A. Preferably,the containment bracket or anchor socket 525 a is affixed to the siderail 520 a (see for example FIGS. 2E and 9B), and a mirror-image anchorsocket 525 b is affixed to side rail 520 b (see for example FIG. 11A).The anchor sockets or containment brackets 525 a and 525 b keep theengaging portion 553 b of the latches 552 proximate each end of thesupport bow 550 g in a desired location along the side rail lip 524 ofthe side rails 520 a and 520 b and thereby aid in positioning thefolding cover assembly 530 in a desired alignment with respect to thecargo box 5 when the engaging portion 553 b of the latches 552 at eachend of the support bow 550 g are engaged with the side rail lip 524 ofthe side rails 520 a and 520 b.

Referring now to FIGS. 10A-10D, bundling means such as bungee cords orstorage straps 543 a can be utilized to fix the folding cover assembly530 in the folded configuration; other straps, buckles, or hooks can beutilized as bundling means. FIGS. 10A-10D show a preferred embodiment,in which two elastic storage straps 543 a are provided, one towardseither side of the middle panel 536 b, for securing the folding coverassembly 530 in a folded configuration. Preferably, strap brackets 543 bare provided for each storage strap 543 a, for hooking the storagestraps 543 a to the front panel 536 c; the strap brackets 543 b arepreferably formed of a strong polymer such as a polyamide, althoughother materials, including composites and metals, can be used. Morepreferably, the strap brackets 543 b are formed of nylon. Preferably,bracket slots 543 c are provided in the front panel 536 c, andaccommodate the strap brackets 543 b. The strap brackets 543 b areattached to or captured on the storage straps 543 a, and the strapbrackets 543 b hook to the bracket slots 543 c in the front panel 536 cto secure the folding cover assembly 530 in the folded configurationwhen desired. In the front perspective view of FIG. 10B of the foldedfolding cover assembly 530, a storage strap 543 a is hooked to the frontpanel 536 c with a strap bracket 543 b. A1so illustrated on FIG. 10B aresupport bows including support bows 550 b, 550 c, 550 d, and 550 g,swing latches 562 b, 562 d, and 562 f, standoff 558, protective pad 558a, and protective film 574. FIG. 10C is a front view which illustrates astorage strap 543 a near each side of the middle panel 536 b which ishooked to the front panel 536 c with corresponding strap brackets 543 bto secure the folded folding cover assembly 530 in a foldedconfiguration as shown. FIG. 10D shows a side view of this foldedconfiguration of the folding cover assembly 530, with the rear panel 536a secured to the front panel 536 c. The folding cover assembly 530 canbe left in this folded configuration, as illustrated in FIG. 10D,covering only the front portion of the cargo box 5.

The protective film(s) 574 is preferably located on the top surface 537c of the front panel 536 c so that the protective film 574 is alignedwith the respective standoff 558 as illustrated in FIGS. 9A, 10, and10B, which illustrate the folding tonneau cover assembly 530 folded up.When the protective film 574 is located as shown between the standoff558 and the top surface 537 c of the front panel 536 c, damage to thetop surface 537 c by contact and abrasion by the protective pad 558 a isminimized. When traveling, the folding tonneau cover assembly 530 may bein the folded up configuration such as illustrated in FIG. 10B, with thestrap bracket 543 b of each storage strap 543 a engaged with the bracketslot 543 c as illustrated.

The folding cover assembly 530, folded up and bundled and left securedto the side rails 520 a and 520 b in the configuration of FIGS. 10B-10Dis illustrated in a rear perspective view, viewed from slightly belowand to the driver's side of the folding tonneau cover apparatus in FIG.11A. As state above, the cord guides 555 preferably include clip cordguides 555 a and retainer cord guides 555 b; the clip cord guides 555 aand retainer cord guides 555 b are further illustrated in FIG. 11B. Thetruck can be driven with the folding cover assembly 530 in this foldedup configuration if desired.

Alternatively, if it is desired to remove the folding cover assembly 530to leave the cargo box 5 completely uncovered, the folding coverassembly 530 can be removed as follows. As illustrated in FIG. 11A therelease cord 554 b is accessible and can easily be grasped by a driveror other operator 8. Pulling on the release cord 554 b will retract thelatches 552 at the ends of the support bow 550 f against the force ofthe biasing members or springs 556, similar to the way in which pullingon the release cord 554 a retracts the latches 552 at the ends of thesupport bow 550 a as illustrated in FIG. 4B. Typically, the release cord554 b will be pulled by a driver or other operator 8; the operator 8preferably has entered the cargo box 5 via the tailgate 6 d to grasp therelease cord 554 b. When the release cord 554 b is pulled, the engagingportions 553 b of the latches 552 at the ends of support bow 550 f areretracted away from the lips side rail lips 524 of the side rails 520 aand 520 b, releasing the latches 552 from the side rails 520 a and 520b, and allowing the rear portion of the front panel 536 c to be liftedup from the side rails 20 a and 20 b and rotated to disengage the hooks562 e and 562 f from the catches 564 e and 564 f, respectively. In thisconfiguration, the folded folding cover assembly 530 is free from theside rails 520 a and 520 b of the support frame assembly 518 and can belifted up and off the cargo box 5 as illustrated in FIG. 12; the foldingcover assembly 530 can be moved away from the pickup truck 2, or stowedin the cargo box 5 or elsewhere as desired. In this case, the topopening 6 f of the cargo box 5 is not partially covered by the folded upfolding cover assembly 530.

When it is desired to replace the folding cover assembly 30 on the cargobox 5, or to close one or more panels 36, the various steps illustratedcan be done in the reverse order, as described in further detail belowin reference to FIG. 19C. To latch the various latches 552, however, itis not necessary to manually retract any of the release cords 554, sincethe latch slide 553 has an inclined bottom surface 553 a. When the latchslide 553 contacts and is forced further towards the side rail lip 524of the side rails 520 a or 520 b, the inclined bottom surface 553 a ofthe latch slide 553 will retract the engaging portion 553 b to allow theengaging portion 553 b to move past the side rail lip 524, whereupon thespring 556 will move the engaging portion 553 b into the securedconfiguration, such as illustrated in FIG. 3B and elsewhere herein.

Referring now to FIGS. 13A-13D, the cord guides 555 are schematicallyillustrated. As stated above, the cord guides 555 preferably includeclip cord guides 555 a and retainer cord guides 555 b. Each clip cordguide 555 a is preferably attached to a support bow 550 as illustratedin FIGS. 13A-13C. The clip cord guide 555 a preferably has a securementfeature or securement portion 560 a which is configured for attachmentto the support bow 550. The securement feature 650 a is preferablyoblong and is narrow enough to fit into the channel opening 566 c, andwhen aligned with the open bottom of the bow bottom portion 566 b asillustrated in FIG. 13A, the securement feature 650 a can be insertedinto the support bow 550 as shown in FIG. 13B. The clip cord guide 555 ais then rotated as indicated by the arrow on FIG. 13B so that thesecurement feature 650 a secures the clip cord guide 555 a to thesupport bow 550 as shown in FIG. 13C. Each retainer cord guide 555 b ispreferably inserted into the open end of the support bow 550 and slidalong the support bow 550 to a desired location. The release cord 554passes between the retainer cord guide 555 b and the support bow 550 asschematically illustrated in FIG. 13D so that the retainer cord guide555 b retains the release cord 554. The combination of clip cordguide(s) 555 a and retainer cord guide(s) 555 b keep the respectiverelease cord positioned in alignment with the latches 552 and adjacentto or within the respective support bow 550. Note that in the schematicillustrations of FIGS. 13A-13D, some elements are not shown, such as theadhesive 570 b (which may include adhesive tape 571 b), hinge 544, hingesupport flange 586, and so forth, in order to highlight the particularfeatures being described. The elements shown in the schematicillustrations of FIGS. 13A-13D are not necessarily drawn to scale.

Referring now to FIGS. 14A-14C, attachment of a standoff 558 to asidebar or handle 559 is illustrated. The standoff 558 preferably has asecurement portion 560 b which is configured for attachment to thesidebar or handle 559. Preferably, the securement portion 560 bpreferably includes two longitudinal grooves 558 b and 558 c which canengage the handle 559. The standoff 558 preferably includes an elongatedprojection 558 d which can be grasped to snap the standoff 558 onto thehandle 559 or to remove the standoff 558 from the handle 559. Further,the elongated projection 558 d is preferably angled to aid in guidingthe standoff 558 into engagement with the handle 559. Preferably, thelongitudinal groove 558 b is hooked onto the handle 559 as illustratedin FIG. 14B, and the elongated projection 558 d is used to aid inhooking the longitudinal groove 558 c onto the handle 559 to secure thestandoff 558 on the handle 559 as illustrated in FIG. 14C. Thedimensions of the standoff 558 and position of the standoff 558,including the standoff distance 561 a and the setback distance 561 b(FIG. 10D) when secured to the handle 559 together determine the angleC2 (FIG. 8C) at which the standoff 558 contacts the front panel 536 cwhen the folding cover assembly 530 is being folded up. Preferably, aprotective pad or insert or rubber foot 558 a is attached to the end ofthe standoff 558 as shown; the protective pad 558 a preferably securesto the standoff 558 by adhesive such as those described herein or otheradhesive known in the art. The protective pad 558 a serves to reduceimpact or abrasion damage to the front panel 536 c when the foldingcover assembly 530 is folded up onto the front panel 536 c.

In this example, the length 539 d of the spacer panel 536 d issubstantially smaller than the lengths 539 a, 539 b, 539 c of the otherpanels 536 a, 536 b, 536 c (FIG. 2A). The dimensions of the standoff 558are chosen to accommodate the length 539 d of the spacer panel 536 d, sothat the front panel 536 a and the rear panel 536 c are preferablyparallel and separated from one another in the folded configuration suchas is illustrated in FIG. 10D. The larger lengths 539 a, 539 b, 539 c ofpanels 536 a, 536 b, 536 c provide for efficient coverage of the cargobox 5, while the smaller length 539 d of the spacer panel 536 d providesfor folding up of the folding cover assembly 530 to a convenient foldedsize, while providing space for the various hinges 544, support bows550, and other components within the folded-up folding cover assembly530. As the spacer panel 536 d, the middle panel 536 b, and the rearpanel 536 a are folded together onto the front panel 536 c, the standoff558 the rear end of each of the handles 559 attached to the bottomsurface 538 a of the rear panel 536 a contacts the front panel 536 c andprovides a pivot point and sliding support to aid in orienting thepanels 536 in the folded configuration as shown. Preferably, thestandoff 558 is long enough to ensure contact between the protective pad558 a and the top surface 537 c of the panel 536 c in order to minimizemovement and stress on the hinges 544 b and 544 c and to minimize anydamage due to abrasion between the protective pad 558 a and the topsurface 537 c of the panel 536 c. Preferably, the standoff 558 is shortenough to avoid undue stress on the panel 536 c and the hinges 544 b and544 c when the folding cover assembly 530 is folded up as illustrated inFIGS. 10A-10D.

Referring to FIGS. 15A-15C, the perimeter seal 534 provides a sealagainst the entry of water, dust, or other debris into the cargo box 5around the perimeter of the folding cover assembly 530. The perimeterseal 534 can also adapt to irregularities in the fit between the foldingcover assembly 530 and the sidewalls 6 a, 6 b, front wall 6 c, andtailgate 6 d of the cargo box 5. The perimeter seal 534 is preferablyattached to the panels 536 with adhesive such as adhesive 570 a, 570 bdescribed above, although other attachment mechanisms can be used tosecure the perimeter seal 534 to the underside 538 of the respectivepanel 536, such as those described herein for attachment of the flexiblehinge 544 or the support bows 550 or the handle 559 to the panels 536.FIG. 15A schematically illustrates one example perimeter seal 534 ahaving D-shaped cross section as shown. Preferably, adhesive 535 is usedto secure the perimeter seal 534 to the panels 536; although other typesof adhesive, such as pressure-activated, heat-activated, UV-activated,chemical-reaction-cure, or other adhesives that are known in the art,can be used, preferably adhesive 535 is an adhesive such as thepreviously described adhesives 570 a, 570 b, 571 a, 571 b. FIG. 15Bschematically illustrates another example perimeter seal 534 b having aperimeter seal lip 534 d; perimeter seal lip 534 d can aid in alignmentof the perimeter seal 534 at the edge of the panel 536, and can alsoprovide some protection when manipulating panel 536 so that injury fromcontact with any narrow or sharp edges of the panel 536 is avoided. FIG.15C schematically illustrates another example perimeter seal 534 chaving an extended perimeter seal flange 534 e which provides similaradvantages as the perimeter seal lip 534 d but also extends a shortdistance over the top surface of the panel 536; the example perimeterseal 534 c has an open cross section with an extended sealing feature534 f. Different configurations of the perimeter seal 534 can be used indifferent portions of the folding cover assembly 530. For example, theperimeter seal 534 a could be used along the front of the front panel536 c to seal against the front wall 6 c of the cargo box 5, while theperimeter seal 534 b could be used along the sides of the panels 536 toseal against the sidewalls 6 a, 6 b (or sidewall cap 6 e, if the truck 2is so equipped), while the perimeter seal 534 c could be used along therear of the rear panel 536 a to seal against the tailgate 6 d. Furtherexample perimeter seals include perimeter seal 534 g, schematicallyillustrated in FIG. 15D, which has an open cross section similar toperimeter seal 534 c but without an extended lip or flange. FIG. 15Eillustrates an example perimeter seal 534 h which is similar toperimeter seal 534 b but also includes an extended perimeter seal flangesimilar to that shown in FIG. 15C. FIG. 15F shows an edge guard 534 ifor attachment at an exposed edge of a panel 536 but with minimalintrusion along the top surface 537 or the bottom surface or underside538 of the respective panel 536 (corresponding to the top surface 532 aor the bottom surface 532 b, respectively, of the folding cover assembly530); edge guard 534 i can be used for protection at the rear edge ofthe rear panel 536 a, for example. Edge guard 534 i is preferablysecured by an interference fit with the respective panel 536;alternatively, edge guard 534 i can be secured to the respective panel536 by an adhesive such as adhesive 535 illustrated in FIGS. 15A-15E,15G-15H. FIG. 15G schematically illustrates a perimeter seal 534 jsimilar to perimeter seal 534 g of FIG. 15D but having an extendedsealing feature 534 f somewhat shorter than the perimeter seal of FIG.15D, as shown. A preferred perimeter seal 534 k is schematicallyillustrated in FIG. 15H. The perimeter seal 534 k preferably includesextended sealing feature 534 f and a thick back portion 534 m, with theadhesive 535 located at the thick back portion 534 m for securing theperimeter seal 534 k to the respective panel(s) 536. The perimeter seal534 can be formed into a bend at the corners of the cargo box 5, orseparate segments of the perimeter seal 534 can be applied near each ofthe driver's side, passenger side, front side, and rear side of thefolding cover apparatus 530, preferably cut to meet at a 45 degree angleto provide an essentially continuous perimeter seal around theperimeter. In a similar manner, differing configurations of perimeterseal 534, such as various perimeter seals 534 a, 534 b, 534 c, 534 g,534 h, 534 j, and 534 k described herein can be used along differentportions of the perimeter, preferably cut to meet in close approximationand thereby providing an essentially continuous perimeter seal aroundthe perimeter but with differing seal configurations at differentportions of the perimeter. An edge guard such as edge guard 534 i can beused to protect against damage or injury from the edge of the panel 536.Preferably, the perimeter seal 534 is arranged to provide an essentiallycontinuous seal around the perimeter of the cargo box 5, and inaddition, the rear edge of the rear panel 536 a preferably has an edgeguard 534 i. Thus, some portions of the folding cover assembly 530 haveperimeter seals 534 (which may include perimeter seals 534 a, 534 b, 534c, 534 g, 534 h, 534 j, 534 k, for example) in addition to edge guard534 i. Alternatively, the extended perimeter seal flange 534 e can beincorporated into the perimeter seal 534 so that a separate edge guard534 i is not required. Various perimeter seals and edge guards made ofpolymeric material, as shown in FIGS. 15A-15H, are available fromLakeview Industries, Chaska, Minn. Preferably, the folding coverassembly 530 described herein includes a perimeter seal such as aperimeter seal disclosed herein, such as perimeter seal 534, 534 a, 534b, 534 c, 534 g, 534 h, 534 j, 534 k. In some views in the drawings, theperimeter seal is not shown for clarity of illustration. The foldingcover assembly 530 preferably includes the perimeter seal 534 a alongeach of the sidewalls 6 a and 6 b, and the perimeter seal 534 k alongthe front wall 6 c, and the perimeter seal 534 h along the rear portion(proximate the tailgate 6 d).

The panels 536 preferably include sheet metal, although a rigid andtough polymer sheet can be used. In particular, lightweight and strongmetal alloys, such as aluminum alloys, are preferred. The panels 536 arepreferably relatively rigid as compared to the hinges 544, so that whenthe folding cover assembly 530 is folded up as described herein, thepanels 536 remain relatively flat, while the hinges 544 can flex to foldup the folding cover assembly 530. Preferably, the panels 536 are fromabout 0.020 inches to about 0.200 inches thick. More preferably, thepanel material is 5052-T34 rolled aluminum alloy from Aleris Inc.,Cleveland, Ohio, which has a thickness of about 0.063 inches thick andis coated on the top with a Krystal Kote™ polyester paint system coatingfrom Valspar Sourcing, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn. and on the bottom with aclear epoxy coating while it is in the factory. The rolled aluminumalloy is manufactured into a coil of rolled aluminum. Once cooled, thecoil is unrolled and separately coated on the top and the bottomsurfaces of the aluminum material, heat treated and recoiled fordelivery to a material handler or to the buyer. The coated panelmaterial is then unrolled and panels are cut using a laser cuttingmachine or such other equipment that allows the panels to be effectivelycut to desired size and shape specifications. The thickness of therespective panels is minimized to limit the weight of the respectivepanels and the cost of the materials, but it the panels are too thinthey will be subject to deformation between supporting structures. Thepanel material will preferably have a thickness of from about 0.020inches to about 0.200 inches, more preferably from about 0.030 inches toabout 0.126 inches, still more preferably from about 0.040 inches toabout 0.100 inches, even more preferably from about 0.050 inches toabout 0.080 inches, and most preferably about 0.063 inches. Otherprotective coatings can be used, such as urethane coatings, which mayinclude UV protection. Protective coatings may be obtained, for example,from BASF (Wyandotte, Mich.) and Glasteel (Moscow, Tenn.). One preferredprotective coating is BASF Elastocoat R85A92 WHT. Other rigid panelssuch as fiber reinforced plastic panels, such as can be obtained fromPolser FRP Panels, Inc. (Izmir, Turkey).

This most preferred thickness was selected for a number of reasonsincluding strength and process limitations. For the preferred coatingdescribed above, 0.063 inches is the thickest size that is believed tobe presently available from manufacturers of the product. Since this wasthe thickest material that could be obtained with the preferred coating,the rigid alloy 5052-T34 with the aforementioned coatings was selectedfrom a number of other materials having a number of other sizes. Theinventors have determined that using an aluminum alloy allows the coverto be both light weight and rigid. The 5052-T34 material was chosenbecause it allows the cover to be strong and resistant to permanentdeflections under static loads, denting, bending and long term abuse.The thickness also creates limitations if it is too thick because thepanels 536 may interfere with one another at the hinge locations whenthe folding tonneau cover 530 is folded up and can therefore add a lotof unwanted stress on the hinge flexible hinge body 545 a or theadhesive 570 a, 571 a where the respective hinges 544 are attached andsealed to the adjacent panels 536. If the panel material is too thin,the panels 536 will sag and easily deform with static loads. Inalternate embodiments, other materials are used to make the panels 536such as steel, aluminum, fiberglass, carbon fiber, ceramic, thermosetplastics, thermoplastics, HDPE, LDPE, ABS, PVC, Nylon, titanium alloy,magnesium alloy, copper, brass, stainless steel, rubber,fiber-reinforced or glass-containing polymeric materials and the like.

As noted, the preferred coatings on the panels 536 are a Kyrstal Kote™polyester paint system from Valspar, preferably a black polyester basecoat with a clear texture top coat on the top surface 537 and a clearepoxy coating on the underside or bottom surface 538 of the panels 536.Other coatings that could be used in alternate embodiments includeacrylic paints, polyester paints, epoxy coatings, galvanized coatings,zinc plating, anodizing, other plating systems and the like. Alternativecoatings include any combination of the above-mentioned coatings oneither the top or the bottom sides of the panels 536. The texture on thetop surface 537, bottom surface 538 of the respective panels 536 can besmooth, brushed, embossed, dented, sandblasted, rolled, waved and thelike. Although a black top surface is preferred on the panels 536,coating including others colors that are well known in the art may alsobe applied on the top surfaces 537 and the bottom surfaces 538 of therespective panels 536 in alternative embodiments. It will be appreciatedthat the coating on the respective surfaces are desirable bothaesthetically and functionally to enable the respective surfaces to holdup over time in harsh environments.

Now referring also to FIGS. 16A-16K, the support bows 550 are preferablymetal channels, more preferably extruded aluminum, although a strongthermoplastic or other polymeric material that is either molded orextruded could be used. Preferably, the support bows 550 b-550 f have aslight bend or bow, and are curved so that they are downwardly concaveor concave down as shown (deflection distance d is exaggerated in someviews for clarity of illustration). When the panels 536 are attached tothe bent support bows 550 b-550 f, the panels 536 deflect and take on acorresponding slight bend or bow, except for the rear portion of therear panel 536 a and the front portion of the front panel 536 c, whichare preferably flat so that they approximate the shape of the tailgate 6d and the front wall 6 c of the cargo box 5. For this reason, thesupport bows 550 a and 550 g are preferably straight. The resultingslight bow in the folding cover assembly 530 aids in shedding of wateror debris from the folding cover assembly 530. Although the support bows550 preferably include extruded channel, as long as the upper surface566 d of the support bow 550 has this downward curvature, the curvaturewill be imposed upon the panels 536 in the manner described. An examplesupport bow 550 which is straight is schematically illustrated in FIG.16A; the support bow 550 a at the rear of the rear panel 536 a andsupport bow 550 g at the front of the front panel 536 c are preferablystraight. Support bows 550 which are curved or bent are schematicallyillustrated in FIGS. 16B, 16C, 16E, 16G, 16I, and 16K; the support bows550 b, 550 c, 550 d, 550 e, and 550 f are preferably curved. Such curvedsupport bows 550 are referenced as 550′ in FIGS. 16B, 16C, and 16E, 550a′ in FIG. 16G, 550 d′, 550 f′ in FIGS. 16I, and 550 e′ in FIG. 16K, todistinguish them from the straight support bows 550, 550 a, 550 d, 550f, and 550 e, respectively, in FIGS. 16A, 16F, and 16H, and 16J. Theupper surface 566 d of each respective support bow 550′, 550 a′, 550 d′,550 f′ is preferably curved so that the upper surface 566 d at the endsof the respective support bow 550 are a deflection distance d lower thana highest extent of the upper surface 566 d of the support bow 550 asshown (between the ends of the support bow 550, but preferably at thecenter portion of the support bow 550 as shown in FIG. 16B). Thedeflection distance d is preferably between about zero and about 1 inch;more preferably, the deflection distance d is preferably between about1/64th inch and about ½ inch; still more preferably, the deflectiondistance d is about ⅛ inch. These example approximate deflectiondistances are for a typical cargo box 5 of a typical pickup truck 2; forwider or narrower cargo boxes, the length of the respective panels 536and the respective support bows 50 may be longer or shorter, and thedeflection distance d is preferably correspondingly larger or smaller,in order to provide a similar function in aiding the run-off of water orother debris from the panels 536. Currently, for example, most commonpickup truck cargo boxes are from about 3.5 feet to about 6 feet inwidth; the deflection distance is preferably correspondingly smaller orlarger when the folding cover assembly is sized to cover a cargo boxwhich is narrower than about 3.5 feet or wider than about 6 feet,respectively. The inventors have found that for most common trucks, adeflection distance d which is about 1/16 inch or less typically doesnot provide the preferred water run-off. The inventors have also foundthat a deflection distance d which is about 3/16 inch or more can createunwanted stress particularly in the panels 536 a and 536 c whichpreferably have one curved support bow 550 and one generally straightsupport bow 550 configured to approximate the shape of the tailgate 6 dand the front wall 6 c of the cargo box 5. Therefore, we have found thatfor the typical truck cargo boxes 5 about 3.5 to about 6 feet in width,the preferred deflection distance is between about 1/16 inch and 3/16inch. In some embodiments, support bows 550 include optional opposedsupport holes 574 e in the front and rear portions of the support bow asillustrated.

Support bow 550 e is shown in FIG. 16J, which also illustrates bow mainportion 584, bow upper portion 585, hinge support flange 586, and flangelips 587 a and 587 b. Similarly, curved support bow 550 e′ is shown inFIG. 16K, which also illustrates bow main portion 584′, bow upperportion 585′, hinge support flanges 586 a′ and 586 b′, and flange lips587 a′ and 587 b′.

In preferred embodiments, the support bows 550 include the bow mainportion 584 including a generally C-shaped channel with the bow upperportion 585 configured for attachment to the bottom surface 538 of therespective panel 536 and oriented with the channel opening 566 c at thebottom. Some components of the folding tonneau cover apparatus 510preferably slide into or are attached to the support bows 550, includingthe latch slides 553, the cord guides 555, the standoffs 558, spring556, and the spring retainers 557 a. The bow end caps 565 preferablyslide into the ends of the support bows 550.

Some embodiments include support bows 550 that are straight, such as thesupport bows 550 that are schematically illustrated in FIGS. 16F, 16H,and 16J, which include no hinge support flange 586 a, 586 b, one hingesupport flange 586 a, 685 b, or two hinge support flanges 586 a, 586 b,respectively. Some embodiments include support bows 550 that are curvedor bent, such as the support bows 550 that are schematically illustratedin FIGS. 16G, 16I and 16K, which include no hinge support flange 586 a,586 b, one hinge support flange 586 a, 685 b, or two hinge supportflanges 586 a, 586 b, respectively. The folding cover assembly 530preferably includes support bows 550 that are straight as support bows550 a and 550 g illustrated in FIGS. 2B, 16A, and 16F; support bows 550a and 550 g are not adjacent to a hinge 544 and therefore do not requirea hinge support flange 586 a or 586 b (FIGS. 16A, 16F). The foldingcover assembly 530 preferably includes support bows 550 that are curvedor bent (concave down) and include a hinge support flange 586 a locatedto one side of the bow main portion 584 and extending to support thehinge side portion 546 b, 546 c as described above and furtherillustrated in FIGS. 16H and 16I. The folding cover assembly 530 morepreferably includes support bows 550 that are bent and have a hingesupport flange 586 a as support bows 550 b, 550 c, 550 d and 550 f (FIG.2B). Preferably, the folding cover assembly 530 includes a support bow550 that includes two hinge support flanges 586 a and 586 b, located onopposed sides of the bow main portion 584, each hinge support flange 586a, 586 b extending to support the hinge side portion 546 b, 546 c ofhinge 544 b, 544 c, as described above and further illustrated in FIGS.16J and 16K. The folding cover assembly 530 more preferably includes asupport bow 550 that is bent and has two hinge support flanges assupport bow 550 e (FIGS. 2B, 16K).

The sidebars or handles 559 are attached to panels 536 a, 536 b, and 536c near each side of each panel 536. The sidebars 559 provide additionalsupport along the side portions of the panels 536. The sidebars 559 arepreferably metal, although a strong polymer can be used. Morepreferably, the sidebars 559 are formed of aluminum. The sidebars 559are preferably formed with recesses or other grasping features, tofacilitate grasping for lifting and positioning the panels 536 duringopening and closing of the folding cover assembly 530. Preferably, thesupport bows 550 and the sidebars or handles 559 are elongated, so thatthey can provide support across the width 540 or length 539,respectively, of the respective panel 536.

Referring now to FIGS. 17A-17B, viewed along the viewing line 17A-17A inFIG. 3A, additional details in the vicinity of the side of the spacerpanel 536 d are illustrated. These views show hinges 544 b and 544 c,latch 552 d, and support bows 550 d, 550 e, 550 f, and the containmentbracket 525 b. In FIG. 17B, the middle panel 536 b has been raised up tobegin folding this portion of the folding cover assembly 530. The hinge544 b is shown flexing, and the hook 562 d is rotated and displaced fromthe catch 564 d so that the spacer panel 536 d can also be lifted up.Some elements shown elsewhere herein are not shown in FIGS. 17A and/or17B to show the hinge function more clearly.

The hinge body 545 a is further illustrated in FIG. 17C, which is anisolated perspective view of the hinge body 545 a and the adhesive 570a, illustrating the hinge longitudinal axis 545 b, the hinge bodyprofile 545 c along a representative vertical front-rear section plane597, the hinge body upper surface 595, the hinge body lower surface 596,representative hinge thickness 545 d in two locations, the centralportion 546 a, the side portions 546 b, 546 c, and the intermediateportions 546 d, 546 e.

As described above in relation to the schematic illustrations in FIGS.5A-5B, the flexible hinge body 545 a preferably includes more than onepolymeric material such as those described herein; for example, theflexible hinge body 545 a may include a softer or lower-durometerelastomeric polymer material 547 c and a harder or higher-durometerelastomeric polymer material 547 d. The central portion 546 a preferablyincludes the softer elastomeric polymer material 547 c, and the sideportions 546 b and 546 c, which are secured to the rigid panels 536 asstated, preferably include the harder elastomeric polymer material 547d. In such embodiments, a transition or mixing of the materialspreferably occurs in the intermediate portions 546 d and 546 e. Thisarrangement preferably provides a structure with the central portion 546a being more flexible in bending than the intermediate portions 546 dand 546 e and the side portions 546 b and 546 c, so that bending of theflexible hinge body 545 a preferentially occurs in the central portion546 a, although some flexing and bending can occur in other portions ofthe flexible hinge 544 in addition to the central portion. Embodimentsof the hinge 544 a are further illustrated in FIGS. 18A-18F, which areschematic illustrations similar to those of FIGS. 5A and 5B, withsimilar orientation as viewed from line 5A-5A on FIG. 2A.

A portion of the hinge body 545 a is shown in a perspective view in FIG.17D taken from the dashed rectangle 17D shown in FIG. 17C, which showsthe hinge body profile 545 c of the hinge body 545 a, and also showingthe central portion 546 a, the side portions 546 b and 546 c, theintermediate portions 546 d and 546 e, more flexible polymer material547 c, stiffer polymer material 547 d, intermediate polymer material 547e, adhesive 570 a and 570 b, hinge body upper surface 595, and hingebody lower surface 596.

A portion of the hinge body 545 a′ is shown in perspective view in FIG.17E which is similar to the view shown in FIG. 17D, except that thehinge body that is shown is an alternate hinge body 545 a′, which showsthe hinge body profile 545 c′ of the hinge body 545 a′, and also showingthe central portion 546 a′, the side portions 546 b′ and 546 c′, theintermediate portions 546 d′ and 546 e′, hinge body polymer material 547a′, and double-sided adhesive tape 571 a.

A portion of the hinge body 545 a′″ is shown in perspective view in FIG.17F which is similar to the view shown in FIG. 17D, except that thehinge body that is shown is an alternate hinge body 545 a′″, which showsthe hinge body profile 545 c′″ of the hinge body 545 a′″, and alsoshowing the central portion 546 a′″, the side portions 546 b′″ and 546c′″, the intermediate portions 546 d′″ and 546 e′″, hinge body polymermaterial 547 a′, and double-sided adhesive tape 571 a.

A portion of the hinge body profile 545 c′″ of hinge body 545 a′″ isshown in FIG. 17G, in an enlarged schematic illustration similar to thatshown in FIG. 18J, which is referenced herein below, except that thehinge body 545 a, shown in FIG. 18J, is somewhat different from that ofthe hinge body 545 a′″ which allows the configuration of the partialenclosure 592 to engage the alternate hinge body 545 a′″ in a slightlydifferent manner wherein the panel 336 does not abut against the hingebody 545 a′″ the same way that is shown in FIG. 18J.

The hinge body 545 a′″ is shown in a further enlargement, shown in FIG.17H, which is taken from the dashed circle 17H of FIG. 17G, whichillustrates a portion of the hinge body 545 a′″ and the partialenclosure 592 in which the hinge body is secured and also showing thegap 590 between a first point 593 a on the lip 587 b of the supportflange 586 b of the support bow 550 and a second point 593 b at thelower corner of the rigid panel 536.

In preferred embodiments of the present folding tonneau cover assembly530, the preferred hinge body 545 a′″ will be made of a single polymericmaterial 547 a having a single durometer, as shown in FIGS. 17F, 17G,17H, 18D, 18E and 18F and no adhesive material will be required tosecure the hinge body 545 a′″ within the partial enclosure 592 createdin part by both the bottom surface 538 of the respective rigid panel 536and a support bow 550 secured to the bottom surface 538 of the rigidpanel 536 on each side of the hinge 544 so as to secure the respectiveside portion 546 b, 546 c and intermediate portion 546 d, 546 e at leastpartially within the respective partial enclosure 592. In otherembodiments disclosed herein, various ways of incorporating adhesivematerials into the folding tonneau cover assembly 540 are used to securethe respective hinge body 545 a within the respective partial enclosure592, but with this embodiment of the hinge body 545 a′″ it will beappreciated that the partial enclosure 592 is sufficient to retain thehinge body 545 a′″ without having a need for adhesive material to securethe hinge body 545 a′″ within the partial enclosure 592. The hinge body592 a′″ may also be made of multiple polymeric materials and be made ofdual or multiple durometer material (not shown) and not require adhesivematerial for suitable securement in the partial enclosure 592 andadhesive material can, of course, be used to secure the alternate hingebody within the partial enclosure 592.

Referring now further to FIGS. 17F, 17G and 17H, the partial enclosure592 on each side of the hinge body 545 a′″ is constructed and arrangedto retain one of the respective side portions 546 b, 546 c and theadjacent intermediate portions 546 d, 546 e within the partial enclosure592 without a need for any adhesive. It will be appreciated that thelack of a need for an adhesive is especially advantageous during theassembly process and also if a need arises to remove and replace thehinge body after manufacture. The key to retaining the hinge body 545a′″ within the partial enclosure 592 is the limited width of a gap 590that exists between a first point 593 a on an inside surface of the lip587 of the support flange 586 of the support bow or support member 550that is secured to a bottom surface 538 of the proximate panel 536 and asecond point 593 b at the bottom corner of the adjacent rigid panel 536.This gap 590 is constructed and arranged to be large enough toaccommodate a portion of the hinge body 545 a′″ that resides between thecentral portion 546 a′″ and the respective intermediate portion 546 d′″,546 e′″ to fit within the gap 590. As shown in FIG. 17H, the length ofgap 590, which is the same as the length of the dashed line 594, thatextends from the first point 593 a on the inside surface of the lip 587b to the second line 593 b at the lower corner of the bottom surface 538of the rigid panel 536. This dashed line 594, which has the same lengthas the gap 590, is longer than the line 576 that extends from the uppersurface 595 of the hinge body 545 a′″, proximate the second point 593 b,to the lower surface 596 of the hinge body 545 a′″, proximate the firstpoint 593 a. Lines 577 a, 577 b, and 577 c are each parallel to line 576and also parallel to dashed line 594. As can be seen, lines 577 a 577 b,and 577 c are each successively longer in length than the line 594 andline 576, because the width of the intermediate portion 546 d′″ and 546e′″ on each side of the central portion 546 a′″ become progressivelywider or larger as the lines grow progressively further away from thegap 590 and the upper surface 595 and the lower surface 596 diverge fromone another as these respective surfaces become farther away from thegap in the immediate vicinity of the intermediate portions 546 d′″, 546e′″, respectively. As the respective intermediate portion 546 d′″, 546e′″ descends away from the central portion 546 a′″, the hinge thickness545 d of the respective intermediate portion 546 d′″, 546 e′″ becomesenlarged, so much so that respective intermediate portion or shoulder546 d′″, 546 e′″ is restricted from passing through the gap 590 undernormal conditions that generally exist during the use of such a foldingtonneau cover assembly 530. This restriction is generally believed to besufficient to prevent the disengagement of the respective shoulders 546d′″, 546 e′″ and side portions 546 b′″, 546 c′″ from the partialenclosure 592 under normal conditions generally experienced by truckowners.

The edges of the gap 590 are generally unyielding because the preferredrigid panels 536 and the preferred support bows 550 are preferably madeof aluminum which is generally unyielding when a polymeric material suchas the polymeric material preferably used to make the hinge bodies 545 aof the present invention are drawing against the aluminum under greatforce. In most cases, the polymeric material will tear or deform beforethe aluminum material will bend significantly or break, but in any case,such levels of force are not generally expected under the anticipatedconditions under which such tonneau cover assemblies are generallyrequired to operate. As shown in the drawings, the thickness of therespective shoulder or intermediate portion 546 d′″, 546 e′″ of thehinge body 545 a′″ becomes greater as the thickness is measured in lines577 a, 577 b, and 577 c, which are each of incrementally greater lengththan the prior line as the distance from the central portion 546 a′″ ofthe hinge body 545 a′″ increases in series: 577 a to 577 b to 577 c.Each of these lines are incrementally greater in length than line 575that stretches from a point on the upper surface 595 of the hinge bodyproximate the second point 593 b on the lower corner of the mostproximate rigid panel 536 to a point on the lower surface 596 proximatethe first point 593 a on the lip 587 of the support flange respective586. Each of the lines 577 a, 577 b, 577 c are parallel to line 275 andeach is incrementally longer and incrementally farther away from theline 275. Because the shoulder 546 d′″, 546 e′″ becomes wider or thickeras the shoulder becomes farther removed from the central portion 546 a′″the shoulders 546 d′″, 546 e′″ and the side portions 546 b′″, 546 c′″ ofthe hinge body 545 a′″ are restricted from becoming disengaged from thepartial enclosure 592 by being drawn out of the partial enclosure 592through the gap 590.

In the embodiment schematically illustrated in FIG. 18A, theconfiguration is similar to that illustrated in FIG. 5A; the supportbows 550 b and 550 c have hinge support flanges 586 a and 586 b,respectively, but lack the flange lips 587 a and 587 b which are presentin the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5A. In the embodiment of FIG. 18A,the arrangement preferably includes adhesive 570 a to secure and sealthe respective side portions 546 b, 546 c to the bottom surface 537 ofthe respective rigid panels 536 a and 536 b.

In the embodiment schematically illustrated in FIG. 18B, theconfiguration is similar to that illustrated in FIG. 5A, except that analternate hinge 544′ is shown, having a hinge body 545 a′ that has asingle hinge body polymer material 547 a (which preferably includes anelastomeric polymer material 547 b and more preferably includes athermoplastic polymer as stated above) is used throughout the centralportion 546 a′ and the side portions 546 b′ and 546 c′ of the flexiblehinge body 545 a′. Preferably, bending of the flexible hinge body 545 a′preferentially occurs in the central portion 546 a′ based on the hingethickness 545 d of the central portion 546 a′ and the side portions 546b′ and 546 c′ of the flexible hinge body 545 a′.

In the embodiment schematically illustrated in FIG. 18C, theconfiguration is similar to that illustrated in FIG. 18B, but analternate hinge 544″ is shown, having a hinge body 545 a″ that has hingebody profile 545 c″ that is different, having a more uniformly flatprofile in the central portion 546 a″ than in the embodiment illustratedin FIG. 18B.

In the embodiment schematically illustrated in FIG. 18D, theconfiguration is similar to that illustrated in FIG. 18B, but analternate hinge 544′″ is shown, having a hinge body 545 a′″ but theadhesive 570 a is not used at the side portions 546 b′″ and 546 c′″ andinstead the hinge thickness 545 d at the side portions 546 b′″ and 546c′″ is such that each side portion 546 b′″, 546 c′″ preferably contactsboth the respective hinge support flange 586 a, 586 b and the respectivebottom surface 538 of the respective rigid panel 536 without interveningadhesive 570 a.

The portion of the folding cover assembly 530 illustrated in FIG. 5A isschematically illustrated in further detail in FIG. 18E, which shows aportion of one of the panels 536 broken away to show the underlyingstructure of the hinge 544′″, and which shows the flexible hinge body545 a′″, and the central portion 546 a′″, and illustrates the partialenclosure 592 in which a portion of the hinge body 545′″ is secured;

An enlarged view of the portion of the flexible hinge 544′″ shown in theencircled area labeled 18F in FIG. 18E is illustrated in FIG. 18F. Aportion of the hinge body 545 a′″ and the central portion 546 a′″, andthe lip 587 are shown, and the hinge body 545 a′″ is partially enclosedin the partial enclosure 592. The lip 587 has a point 593 a closest tothe panel 536.

The partial enclosure 592 is illustrated in FIG. 18G in a furtherschematic perspective view similar to FIG. 18E but showing the structureof the partial enclosure 592 with the hinge body 545 a shown onlypartially and in phantom, with the rigid panels 536 and support bows 550shown in cooperation with one another as shown in FIG. 18D.

A portion of the folding tonneau cover assembly 530 is illustrated inFIG. 18H, which is an enlarged view providing a transverse verticalcross section of the portion of the folding tonneau cover assembly shownin FIG. 18A, but showing the hinge body 545 a in phantom. A portion ofthe folding tonneau cover assembly 530 is illustrated in FIG. 18I in afurther enlarged view similar to that shown in FIG. 18H, except that thehinge body 545 a is shown in cross section and the rigid panels 536 andthe support bows 550 are shown in phantom.

A further enlarged view of the portion of the folding tonneau coverassembly 530 shown in the dashed circle 18J of FIG. 18I is illustratedin FIG. 18J. Portions of the partial enclosure 592, hinge 544, hingebody 545 a, central portion 546 a, side portions 546 b and 546 c,intermediate portions 546 d and 546 e, hinge body profile 545 c, hingethickness 545 d, hinge adhesive 570 a, hinge body upper surface 595, andhinge body lower surface 596 are shown. Portions of the support bows 550and rigid panels 536 are shown in phantom.

Preferably, the hinge thickness 545 d between the hinge upper surface595 and the hinge lower surface 596 is large enough in comparison to thegap 590 to provide a degree of securement of the flexible hinge body 545a so that the respective side portion 546 b, 546 c is retained betweenthe hinge support flange 586 a, 586 b and the respective bottom surface538 a, 538 b of the respective rigid panel 536 a, 536 b. The hingethickness 545 d at the respective intermediate portion 546 d, 546 e isgreater than the gap 590, thereby reducing the possibility of therespective intermediate portion 546 d, 546 e passing through the gap 590due to movements and stresses anticipated in use of the folding tonneaucover apparatus 510. In embodiments which include the adhesive 570 a(such as the double-sided adhesive tape 571 a, for example), theadhesive 570 a provides further securement of the flexible hinge body545 a to the respective rigid panels 536.

As described above, adhesive 570 a is preferably located between eachside portion 546 b, 546 c and the respective rigid panel 536 (536 a, 536b, 536 c, 536 d) to protect against passage of debris or precipitationinto the cargo box 5; the adhesive 570 a can also aid in securement ofthe flexible hinge body 545 a to the respective rigid panel 536.Alternatively, the side portions 546 b, 546 c can fit tightly betweenthe respective extended flange or hinge support flange 586 (586 a, 586b) and the respective rigid panel 536, to provide a degree of protectionagainst passage of debris or precipitation into the cargo box 5. Thefolding cover assembly 530 preferably includes support bows or channels550 (550 a, 550 b, 550 c, 550 d, 550 e, 550 f, 550 g) secured to theunderside 538 (538 a, 538 b, 538 c, 538 d) of at least some of the rigidpanels 536, near the front edge 541 b and/or the rear edge 541 c of therespective rigid panels 536, and which extend between the driver's sideand the passenger side of the rigid panels 536. The support bows 550 arepreferably secured to the underside 538 of the respective rigid panels536 by adhesive 570 b. In preferred embodiments, the support bows 550include the hinge support flanges 586.

The extended flanges 586 are preferably separated a short distance fromthe respective rigid panel 536, so that there is a gap 590 between thehinge support flange 586 and the respective rigid panel 536. The hingesupport flange 586 and the respective rigid panel 536 form a partialenclosure 592 into which the side portions 546 b, 546 c extend. Thehinge support flanges 586 each preferably include a raised lip 587 a,587 b to further secure the flexible hinge body 545 a to the respectiverigid panel 536. The raised lip is preferably positioned to create arestricted gap 590 between the raised lip 587 a, 587 b and therespective rigid panel 536, so that the side portion 546 b, 546 c cannoteasily slip out from the partial enclosure 592 through the gap 590,further securing the flexible hinge body 545 a to the respective rigidpanel 536. The intermediate portion 546 b, 546 c preferably has a hingethickness 545 d which does not permit the intermediate portion 546 b,546 c to easily pass through the restricted gap 590, further securingthe flexible hinge body 445 a to the respective rigid panel 536. In someembodiments, the geometry of the partial enclosure 592, gap 590, sideportion 546 b, 546 c, and intermediate portion 546 b, 546 c provides amechanical interlock to secure the flexible hinge body 545 a to therespective rigid panel 536 without the need for adhesive or otherfastening mechanism. In other embodiments, adhesive 570 a is used tosecure the flexible hinge body 545 a to the respective rigid panel 536;in alternative embodiments, adhesive 570 a is located at an interfacebetween the flexible hinge body 545 a and the hinge support flanges 586,adhesive 570 a is located at an interface between the flexible hingebody 545 a (at the hinge body upper surface 595) and the bottom surfaceor underside 538 of the respective rigid panel 536, or adhesive 570 a islocated both at an interface between the flexible hinge body 545 a (atthe hinge body lower surface 596) and the hinge support flanges 586 andat an interface between the flexible hinge body 545 a and the bottomsurface or underside 538 of the respective rigid panel 536. In furtherembodiments, a mechanical interlock together with adhesive 570 a securesthe flexible hinge body 545 a to the respective rigid panel 536. Instill further embodiments which include the flange lip 587, themechanical interlock includes the geometry of the intermediate portionand the geometry of the lip.

As stated above, the flexible hinge body 545 a preferably includespolymer material 547 a, which more preferably includes an elastomericpolymer material 547 b. In some embodiments, a single type ofelastomeric polymer material 547 b is used in the central portion 546 a,side portions 546 b, 546 c, and intermediate portions 546 d, 546 e ofthe flexible hinge body 545 a. In other embodiments, the flexible hingebody 545 a includes a plurality, i.e. more than one type of polymermaterial 547 a, which differ in elastic properties; for example, a moreflexible elastomeric polymer material 547 c may be preferablyincorporated in the central portion 546 a and a stiffer elastomericpolymer material 547 d may be preferably incorporated in the sideportions 546 b, 546 c. In this case, the intermediate portion 546 d, 546e may include an intermediate polymer material 547 e which may be amixture or combination of the more flexible elastomeric polymer material547 c and the stiffer elastomeric polymer material 547 d, and mayprovide a transition from the more flexible elastomeric polymer material547 c to the stiffer elastomeric polymer material 547 d. In someembodiments, the flexible hinge body 545 a includes more than one typeof polymer material to provide for more optimal properties in thevarious portions; for example, a more flexible elastomeric polymermaterial 547 c may be utilized advantageously in the central portion 546c to provide for bending of the flexible hinge body 545 a when foldingor unfolding the folding cover assembly 530, while a stiffer elastomericpolymer material 547 d may be utilized advantageously in the sideportion 546 b, 546 c to provide for securement of the flexible hingebody 545 a to the respective rigid panel 536. Preferably, in embodimentswhich incorporate more than one type of polymer material 547 a, theflexible hinge body 545 a is fabricated by co-extruding the more thanone type of polymer material 547 a to form the flexible hinge body 545 aof materials which vary along the hinge body profile 545 c but which aregenerally the same along the hinge longitudinal axis 545 b of theflexible hinge body 545 a.

A portion of the folding tonneau cover apparatus 510 that includes therear hinge 544 a, as indicated by the encircled area labeled 2D, 19A inFIG. 2C, is further illustrated in an enlarged partial phantom view inFIG. 19A, with the driver's-side side rail 220 a shown in phantom andthe truck 2 removed to show the underlying structure, and showing inphantom an alternate position of the same portion of the folding tonneaucover apparatus 510 in which the rear panel 536 a has been lifted up androtated frontward somewhat in the direction of the arrow so that thehook 562 a is disengaged from the catch 564 a. With further rotation ofthe rear panel 536 a as illustrated in FIG. 19B, the rear panel 536 ahas been rotated completely forward onto the middle panel 536 b, and thehook 562 a is disengaged from the catch 564 a, so the middle panel 536 bis free to be lifted up if desired. The other hooks 562 and catches 564described herein function in a similar manner as hook 562 a and catch564 a just described.

When it is desired to replace the folding cover assembly 230 onto thecargo box 5 and cover the cargo box 5, the folding cover assembly 230can be placed onto the side rails 520 and unfolded as schematicallyillustrated in FIG. 19C, beginning with (1) placing the bundled foldingcover assembly 530 on the side rails 520 with the hooks 562 at the frontof the front panel 536 c aligned with the respective catches 564 on therespective side rails 520; (2) lowering the folding cover assembly 530onto the side rails 520 until the latches 552 at the rear of the frontpanel 536 c are engaged with the side rail lip 524 of the respectiveside rails 520 and the containment brackets 525 a and 525 b. The bundledfolding cover assembly 530 can be left secured in this configuration, orif it is desired to unfold the folding cover assembly 530 to cover thecargo box 5, the strap brackets 543 b can be disengaged from the bracketslots 543 c, and (3) the middle panel 536 b can be rotated rearward ontothe side rails 520, with the hooks 562 at the front of the middle panel536 b engaging the respective catches 564, and (4) the rear panel 536 acan be rotated rearward onto the side rails 520, with the hooks 562 atthe front of the rear panel 536 a engaging the respective catches 564and the latches 552 at the rear of the rear panel 536 a engaging withthe side rail lip 524 of the respective side rails 520.

FIGS. 20A-20E are schematic illustrations of the folding tonneau coverapparatus 510 for various configurations of cargo box 5 geometries asmay be found on various trucks 2. Preferred embodiments of the foldingcover assembly 530 include the rear panel 536 a, the middle panel 536 b,the front panel 536 c, and the spacer panel 536 d, as previouslydescribed. In FIGS. 20A-20E, the overall length 533 of the folding coverassembly 530 is shown for each example, and the length 539 of each ofthe panels 536 a-536 d is indicated as 539 a-539 d, respectively, andthe width 540 of the panels 536 a-536 d is indicated as 540 a-540 d,respectively, and the side angle 542 of the panels 536 a-536 d isindicated as 542 a-542 d, respectively. Panels 536 a-536 c can havesimilar length 539 a-539 c, or the length of some or all of panels 536a-536 c can differ. Panel 536 d can have a similar length 539 d aspanels 536 a-536 c, but preferably the length 539 d of panel 536 d issubstantially smaller than the lengths 539 a-539 c of panels 536 a-536c. Panels 536 a-536 d can have similar width 540, or the width of someor all of panels 536 a-536 d can differ. Panels 536 a-536 d can have thesame side angle 542, or the side angle 542 a-542 d of some or all ofpanels 536 a-536 d can differ.

FIG. 20A shows the folding cover assembly 530 as configured for a cargobox having angled sides; since this example folding cover assembly 530has angled sides, the width 540 is different at the front and rear of apanel. In this example, the width 540 of the rear panel 536 a at therear of the rear panel 536 a is labeled 540 a′, to distinguish it fromthe width 540 a of the rear panel 536 a at the front of the rear panel546 a. The width 540 of the panel 536 b at the rear of the panel 536 bis similar to the width 540 a of the panel 536 a at the front of thepanel 536 a, and so forth.

FIG. 20B is a schematic illustration of the folding cover assembly 530as configured for a cargo box having parallel sides; in this example,the width 540 of each of the panels is similar. FIG. 20C is a schematicillustration of the folding cover assembly 530 as configured for anelongated cargo box; in this example, the overall length 533 is longerthan in the example of FIG. 20B. FIG. 20D is a schematic illustration ofthe folding cover assembly 530 as configured for a shorter cargo box; inthis example, the overall length 533 is shorter than in the example ofFIG. 20B. FIG. 20E is a schematic illustration of the folding coverassembly 530 as configured for a cargo box with arbitrary shape; in thisexample, the sides of the panels 536 are angled, and the rear of therear panel 536 a is curved, extending a curved extension distance 539 ein the central portion with respect to the side portions of the rearpanel 536 a. The folding cover assembly 530 can be configured for avariety of other configurations of truck box 5, with any of the panels536 a-536 d configured with straight or angled or curved shapes such asthose illustrated in the examples of FIGS. 20A-20E, in variouscombinations.

Further advantages to the structure described herein of the flexiblehinge 544 are illustrated in FIGS. 21A and 21B. The hinge 544 asdescribed herein is low profile, reducing the overall thickness, bulk,and weight of the folding cover assembly 530. The flexible hinge 544 cantolerate some deformation, so that if adjacent panels 536 are notaligned perfectly, or are not perfectly flat, the hinge 544 can stillfunction to allow the folding cover assembly 530 to fold withoutbinding. The configuration disclosed herein of hinge 544 can accommodatepanels 536, some of which are preferably slightly bowed as describedherein and illustrated in FIG. 16E. FIG. 21A is a schematic illustrationof a portion of the folding tonneau cover apparatus 510 showing arespective flexible hinge 544 interconnecting two respective adjacentpanels 536, showing bent or bowed support bows 550 creating a bending orbowing of the panels 536 attached thereto (see also FIGS. 16B-16E), withthe bending or bowing exaggerated for illustration, with the panels 536unfolded. FIG. 21B is a schematic illustration similar to that of FIG.21A, showing the two respective adjacent panels 536 folded up in thedirection indicated by the arrow. FIGS. 21A-21B illustrate how theflexible hinge 544 can accommodate the folding up and unfolding of suchbent or bowed panels 536.

It is to be understood, however, that even though numerouscharacteristics and advantages of the present invention have been setforth in the foregoing description, together with details of thestructure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrativeonly, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape,size and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention tothe full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms inwhich the appended claims are expressed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A tonneau cover apparatus for removableattachment about a top of a perimeter of a cargo box of a pickup truck,the top of the perimeter of the cargo box including a forward end, twoopposing sidewalls and a tailgate, the tailgate being positionedrearward of the forward end and having an open position and a closedposition, the tonneau cover apparatus comprising: a support frameassembly for attachment to the cargo box; and a cover assembly forattachment to the support frame assembly when the support frame assemblyis attached to the cargo box; the cover assembly including a pluralityof rigid panels and a flexible hinge; wherein the plurality of rigidpanels include first and second panels flexibly secured to one anotherby the flexible hinge; the flexible hinge having a center portion, twoside portions and two intermediate portions; wherein each of therespective intermediate portions separately interconnect one of therespective side portions to the center portion; wherein the coverassembly further includes an elongated support member secured to anunderside of one of the rigid panels; wherein the elongated supportmember has a main portion and a flange; wherein the main portion has anupper portion that is secured to an underside of the respective rigidpanel and the flange extends away from the upper portion such that theflange resides at least partially below the respective underside and atleast a portion of one of the two side portions; wherein the flange andthe underside of the respective rigid panel cooperate to form a partialenclosure within which the side portion is secured.
 2. The tonneau coverapparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexible hinge is made at leastpartially of flexible thermoplastic material.
 3. The tonneau coverapparatus of claim 2, wherein the side portions include a firstthermoplastic material having a first durometer and the center portionincludes second thermoplastic material having a second durometer,wherein the first durometer is greater than the second durometer.
 4. Thetonneau cover apparatus of claim 1, wherein an upper surface of theelongated support member is secured to the underside of the respectiverigid panel.
 5. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 4, wherein theupper surface of the elongated support member is secured to theunderside of the respective rigid panel by a system selected from thegroup consisting of (1) an adhesive material secured to the uppersurface of the elongated support member and the underside of therespective rigid panel and (2) a two-sided adhesive tape secured to theupper surface of the elongated support member and the underside of therespective rigid panel.
 6. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 1,wherein an upper surface of one of the side portions of the flexiblehinge is secured to the underside of the respective rigid panel.
 7. Thetonneau cover apparatus of claim 6, wherein the upper surface of therespective side portion of the flexible hinge is secured within thepartial enclosure created by the cooperation of the respective flangeand the underside of the respective rigid panel by a method selectedfrom the group consisting of: (1) positioning the respective sideportion within the respective partial enclosure; and (2) positioning therespective side portion within the respective partial enclosure andsecuring at least a part of the respective side portion to the part ofthe respective side portion and the underside of the respective rigidpanel.
 8. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexiblehinge is made by a process selected from the group consisting of: (1)extruding a thermoplastic material through an opening; (2) extruding twodifferent thermoplastic materials having two different durometersthrough an opening; (3) molding a thermoplastic material in a mold; and(4) molding two different thermoplastic materials having differentdurometers in a mold, such that the thermoplastic material used to makethe side portions has a first durometer and the thermoplastic materialused to make the center portion has a second durometer and the firstdurometer is greater than the second durometer.
 9. The tonneau coverapparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexible hinge is secured to theunderside of the respective rigid panel along an outer edge of therespective rigid panel that extends along a length of the respectiverigid panel; wherein the center portion, the two side portions and thetwo intermediate portions of the flexible hinge each extend along alength of the flexible hinge that is generally parallel to the length ofthe respective rigid panel when the flexible hinge in secured thereto.10. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 1, wherein the center portionis at least partially concave as it extends between the respective rigidpanels to which the flexible hinge is secured.
 11. The tonneau coverapparatus of claim 9, wherein the flexible hinge has a thickness and thethickness of the flexible hinge varies as the flexible hinge extendsbetween the respective rigid panels to which the flexible hinge issecured, but the thickness of the flexible hinge is generally uniform asthe flexible hinge extends along the length of the flexible hinge. 12.The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 11, wherein the intermediateportions of the flexible hinge have a thickness that is a greater than asmallest thickness of the center portion.
 13. The tonneau coverapparatus of claim 1, wherein the flange has a lip; wherein the lipextends toward an outer edge of the respective rigid panel to which therespective elongated support member is secured; and wherein theintermediate portion of the flexible hinge has a first thickness that isa greater than a smallest thickness of the center portion.
 14. Thetonneau cover apparatus of claim 13, wherein a distance between the lipand the outer edge of the respective rigid panel to which the respectiveelongated support member is secured is smaller than the first thicknessof the intermediate portion of the flexible hinge secured within thepartial enclosure.
 15. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe flange has a lip and wherein the lip extends toward an outer edge ofthe respective rigid panel so as to form the partial enclosure; whereinat least a portion of the respective intermediate portion and therespective side portion of one side of the flexible hinge is retainedwithin the partial enclosure; and wherein at least a portion of theintermediate portion of the flexible hinge has a first thickness that isgreater than a gap between the outer edge of the rigid panel and anypoint on the outer surface of the lip of the respective support flange.16. A tonneau cover apparatus for removable attachment about a top of aperimeter of a cargo box of a pickup truck, the top of the perimeter ofthe cargo box including a forward end, two opposing sidewalls and atailgate, the tailgate being positioned rearward of the forward end andhaving an open position and a closed position, the tonneau coverapparatus comprising: a support frame assembly for attachment to thecargo box; and a cover assembly for attachment to the support frameassembly when the support frame assembly is attached to the cargo box;the cover assembly including a plurality of rigid panels and a flexiblehinge; wherein the plurality of rigid panels include first and secondpanels flexibly secured to one another by the flexible hinge; theflexible hinge having a center portion, two side portions and twointermediate portions; wherein each of the respective intermediateportions separately interconnect one of the respective side portions tothe center portion; wherein each of the respective rigid panels have anunderside, a topside and a perimeter surface surrounding a perimeter ofeach of the respective rigid panels; wherein a first portion of theperimeter surface of the respective rigid panel converges with a firstsection of the respective underside proximate the flexible hingesecuring the first rigid panel to the second ridged panel to form afirst edge that runs generally parallel to a length of the flexiblehinge; wherein the cover assembly further includes an elongated supportmember secured to the respective underside of one of the respectiverigid panels proximate the first edge; wherein the elongated supportmember has a main portion and a flange and the main portion has an upperportion that is secured to the respective underside of the respectiverigid panel and the flange has an extended portion that extends awayfrom the upper portion and resides below the underside when the supportmember is secured to the respective underside and a lip portion whichruns generally parallel to the first edge and extends upward from theextended portion so as to reduce a width of a gap between the lipportion and the first edge such that the proximate portion of the flangeresides at least partially below the respective underside proximate thefirst edge of the respective rigid panel so as to cooperate with therespective underside to form a partial enclosure in which at least aportion of each of the respective intermediate portion and therespective side portion of the respective hinge resides.
 17. A tonneaucover apparatus for removable attachment about a top of a perimeter of acargo box of a pickup truck, the top of the cargo box including aforward end, two opposing sidewalls and a tailgate, the tailgate beingpositioned rearward of the forward end and having an open position and aclosed position, the tonneau cover apparatus comprising: a support frameassembly for attachment to the cargo box; and a cover assembly forattachment to the support frame assembly when the support frame assemblyis attached to the cargo box; the cover assembly including a pluralityof rigid panels and a flexible hinge; wherein the plurality of rigidpanels include first and second panels flexibly secured to one anotherby the flexible hinge; the flexible hinge having a center portion, twoside portions and two intermediate portions; wherein each of therespective intermediate portions separately interconnect one of therespective side portions to the center portion; wherein the coverassembly further includes two elongated support members, each of whichis secured to an underside of one of the rigid panels; wherein each ofthe elongated support members has a main portion and a flange; whereinthe main portion has an upper portion that is secured to an underside ofone of the respective rigid panels and the flange extends away from theupper portion such that the flange resides at least partially below therespective underside proximate an outer edge of the respective rigidpanel when the respective elongated support member is secured to therespective rigid panel; wherein the respective flange and the undersideof the respective rigid panel cooperate to form a partial enclosurewithin which one of the respective side portions of the flexible hingeis secured; wherein the flexible hinge is secured to the respectivefirst and second rigid panels within respective first and second partialenclosures.
 18. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 17, wherein theflexible hinge is made at least partially of flexible thermoplasticmaterial.
 19. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 18, wherein thethermoplastic material used to make the side portions has a firstdurometer and the thermoplastic material used to make the center portionhas a second durometer, wherein the first durometer is greater than thesecond durometer.
 20. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 17, whereinan upper surface of each of the respective elongated support members issecured to the underside of the respective rigid panel.
 21. The tonneaucover apparatus of claim 20, wherein the upper surface of the respectiveside portion of the flexible hinge is secured within the partialenclosure created by the cooperation of the respective flange and theunderside of the respective rigid panel by a method selected from thegroup consisting of: (1) positioning the respective side portion withinthe respective partial enclosure; and (2) positioning the respectiveside portion within the respective partial enclosure and securing atleast a part of the respective side portion to the underside of therespective rigid panel by adhering one of the group consisting of anadhesive material and a two-sided adhesive tape to the part of therespective side portion and the underside of the respective rigid panel.22. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 17, wherein an upper surface ofeach of the respective side portions of the flexible hinge is secured tothe respective underside of the respective rigid panel.
 23. The tonneaucover apparatus of claim 22, wherein the respective upper surface of therespective side portion of the respective flexible hinge is secured tothe underside of the respective rigid panel by applying a materialselected from the group consisting of an adhesive material secured tothe upper surface of the elongated support member and the underside ofthe respective rigid panel and a two-sided adhesive tape secured to theupper surface of the elongated support member and the underside of therespective rigid panel.
 24. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 17,wherein the flexible hinge is made by a process selected from the groupconsisting of: (1) extruding a thermoplastic material through anopening; (2) extruding two different thermoplastic materials having twodifferent durometers through an opening; (3) molding a thermoplasticmaterial in a mold; and (4) molding two different thermoplasticmaterials having different durometers in a mold, such that thethermoplastic material used to make the side portions has a firstdurometer and the thermoplastic material used to make the center portionhas a second durometer and the first durometer is greater than thesecond durometer.
 25. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 17, whereinthe flexible hinge is secured to the respective underside of therespective rigid panel along outer edges of each of the respective rigidpanels that extend along a length of each of the respective rigidpanels; wherein the center portion, the two side portions and the twointermediate portions of the flexible hinge each extend along a lengthof the flexible hinge that is generally parallel to the respectivelengths of the respective rigid panels when the flexible hinge insecured to each of the respective rigid panels.
 26. The tonneau coverapparatus of claim 17, wherein the center portion is at least partiallyconcave as it extends between the respective rigid panels to which theflexible hinge is secured.
 27. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 26,wherein the flexible hinge has a thickness and the thickness of theflexible hinge varies as the flexible hinge extends between therespective rigid panels to which the flexible hinge is secured, but thethickness of the flexible hinge is generally uniform as the flexiblehinge extends along the length of the flexible hinge.
 28. The tonneaucover apparatus of claim 17, wherein the intermediate portions of theflexible hinge have a first thickness that is greater than a smallestthickness of the center portion.
 29. The tonneau cover apparatus ofclaim 17, wherein the flange of each of the respective support membershas a lip; wherein the lip extends toward an outer edge of therespective rigid panel to which the respective elongated support memberis secured; and wherein the intermediate portion of the flexible hingehas a first thickness that is a greater than a distance between therespective lip and the respective outer edge of the respective rigidpanel to which the respective elongated support member is secured.
 30. Atonneau cover apparatus for removable attachment about a top of aperimeter of a cargo box of a pickup truck, the top of the cargo boxincluding a forward end, two opposing sidewalls and a tailgate, thetailgate being positioned rearward of the forward end and having an openposition and a closed position, the tonneau cover apparatus comprising:a support frame assembly for attachment to the cargo box; and a coverassembly for attachment to the support frame assembly when the supportframe assembly is attached to the cargo box; the cover assemblyincluding a plurality of rigid panels and a flexible hinge; wherein theplurality of rigid panels include first and second panels flexiblysecured to one another by the flexible; the flexible hinge having acenter portion, two side portions and two intermediate portions, each ofwhich extend a length of the flexible hinge, wherein each of therespective intermediate portions separately interconnect one of therespective side portions to the center portion; wherein the centerportion is at least partially concave.
 31. The tonneau cover apparatusof claim 30, wherein the flexible hinge has a thickness and thethickness of the flexible hinge varies as the flexible hinge extendsfrom side to side between the respective rigid panels to which theflexible hinge is secured, but the thickness is generally uniform alonga length of the hinge.
 32. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 29,wherein a distance between the lip and the outer edge of the respectiverigid panel to which the respective elongated support member is securedis smaller than the first thickness of the intermediate portion of theflexible hinge secured within the partial enclosure.
 33. The tonneaucover apparatus of claim 17, wherein the flange has a lip and whereinthe lip extends toward an outer edge of the respective rigid panel so asto form the partial enclosure; wherein at least a portion of therespective intermediate portion and the respective side portion of oneside of the flexible hinge is retained within the partial enclosure; andwherein at least a portion of the intermediate portion of the flexiblehinge has a first thickness that is greater than a gap between the outeredge of the rigid panel and any point on the outer surface of the lip ofthe respective support flange.
 34. A tonneau cover apparatus forremovable attachment about a top of a perimeter of a cargo box of apickup truck, the top of the cargo box including a forward end, twoopposing sidewalls and a tailgate, the tailgate being positionedrearward of the forward end and having an open position and a closedposition, the tonneau cover apparatus comprising: a support frameassembly for attachment to the cargo box; and a cover assembly forattachment to the support frame assembly when the support frame assemblyis attached to the cargo box; the cover assembly including a pluralityof rigid panels and a flexible hinge; wherein the plurality of rigidpanels include first and second panels flexibly secured to one anotherby the flexible hinge; the flexible hinge having a center portion, twoside portions and two intermediate portions that extend along a lengthof each of the respective rigid panels when the flexible hinge issecured thereto; wherein each of the respective intermediate portionsseparately interconnect one of the respective side portions to thecenter portion; wherein the cover assembly further includes twoelongated support members, each of which is secured to an underside ofone of the rigid panels and extend along the length of the respectiverigid panel so as to cooperate with the underside of the respectiverigid panel to form a partial enclosure for retention of a part of theflexible hinge proximate the underside of each of the respective rigidpanels; wherein each of the elongated support members has a main portionand a flange; wherein the main portion has an upper portion that issecured to an underside of the respective rigid panel and the flangeextends away from the upper portion such that the flange resides atleast partially below the respective underside proximate an outer edgeof the respective rigid panel when the respective elongated supportmember is secured to the respective rigid panel; wherein the respectiveflange and the underside of the respective rigid panel cooperate to formthe respective partial enclosure within which one of the respective sideportions and at least a part of the respective intermediate portion ofthe flexible hinge is secured; wherein the flexible hinge is secured tothe respective first and second rigid panels within respective first andsecond partial enclosures.
 35. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 34,wherein the flexible hinge is made at least partially of flexiblethermoplastic material.
 36. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 35,wherein the thermoplastic material used to make the side portions has afirst durometer and the thermoplastic material used to make the centerportion has a second durometer, wherein the first durometer is greaterthan the second durometer.
 37. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 34,wherein an upper surface of each of the respective elongated supportmembers is secured to the underside of the respective rigid panel. 38.The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 37, wherein the upper surface ofthe respective side portion of the flexible hinge is secured within thepartial enclosure created by the cooperation of the respective flangeand the underside of the respective rigid panel by a method selectedfrom the group consisting of: (1) positioning the respective sideportion within the respective partial enclosure; and (2) positioning therespective side portion within the respective partial enclosure andsecuring at least a part of the respective side portion to the undersideof the respective rigid panel by adhering one of the group consisting ofan adhesive material and a two-sided adhesive tape to the part of therespective side portion and the underside of the respective rigid panel.39. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 34, wherein an upper surface ofeach of the respective side portions of the flexible hinge is secured tothe respective underside of the respective rigid panel.
 40. The tonneaucover apparatus of claim 39, wherein the respective upper surface of therespective side portion of the respective flexible hinge is secured tothe underside of the respective rigid panel by applying a materialselected from the group consisting of an adhesive material secured tothe upper surface of the elongated support member and the underside ofthe respective rigid panel and a two-sided adhesive tape secured to theupper surface of the elongated support member and the underside of therespective rigid panel.
 41. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 34,wherein the flexible hinge is made by a process selected from the groupconsisting of: (1) extruding a thermoplastic material through anopening; (2) extruding two different thermoplastic materials having twodifferent durometers through an opening; (3) molding a thermoplasticmaterial in a mold; and (4) molding two different thermoplasticmaterials having different durometers in a mold, such that thethermoplastic material used to make the side portions has a firstdurometer and the thermoplastic material used to make the center portionhas a second durometer and the first durometer is greater than thesecond durometer.
 42. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 34, whereinthe flexible hinge is secured to the respective underside of therespective rigid panel along outer edges of each of the respective rigidpanels that extend along a length of each of the respective rigidpanels; wherein the center portion, the two side portions and the twointermediate portions of the flexible hinge each extend along a lengthof the flexible hinge that is generally parallel to the respectivelengths of the respective rigid panels when the flexible hinge insecured to each of the respective rigid panels.
 43. The tonneau coverapparatus of claim 34, wherein the center portion is at least partiallyconcave as it extends between the respective rigid panels to which theflexible hinge is secured.
 44. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 43,wherein the flexible hinge has a thickness and the thickness of theflexible hinge varies as the flexible hinge extends between therespective rigid panels to which the flexible hinge is secured, but thethickness of the flexible hinge is generally uniform as the flexiblehinge extends along the length of the flexible hinge.
 45. The tonneaucover apparatus of claim 34, wherein the intermediate portions of theflexible hinge have a first thickness that is greater than a smallestthickness of the center portion.
 46. The tonneau cover apparatus ofclaim 34, wherein the flange of each of the respective support membershas a lip; wherein the lip extends toward an outer edge of therespective rigid panel to which the respective elongated support memberis secured; and wherein the intermediate portion of the flexible hingehas a first thickness that is a greater than a distance between therespective lip and the respective outer edge of the respective rigidpanel to which the respective elongated support member is secured. 47.The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 46, wherein the flexible hinge hasa thickness and the thickness of the flexible hinge varies as theflexible hinge extends from side to side between the respective rigidpanels to which the flexible hinge is secured, but the thickness isgenerally uniform along a length of the hinge.
 48. The tonneau coverapparatus of claim 46, wherein a distance between the lip and the outeredge of the respective rigid panel to which the respective elongatedsupport member is secured is smaller than the first thickness of theintermediate portion of the flexible hinge secured within the partialenclosure.
 49. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 34, wherein theflange has a lip and wherein the lip extends toward an outer edge of therespective rigid panel so as to form the partial enclosure; wherein atleast a portion of the respective intermediate portion and therespective side portion of one side of the flexible hinge is retainedwithin the partial enclosure; and wherein at least a portion of theintermediate portion of the flexible hinge has a first thickness that isgreater than a gap between the outer edge of the rigid panel and anypoint on the outer surface of the lip of the respective support flange.50. A method of making a tonneau cover apparatus for removableattachment about a top of a perimeter of a cargo box of a pickup truck,the top of the cargo box including a forward end, two opposing sidewallsand a tailgate, the tailgate being positioned rearward of the forwardend and having an open position and a closed position, the methodcomprising providing a tonneau cover apparatus including: a supportframe assembly for attachment to the cargo box; and a cover assembly forattachment to the support frame assembly when the support frame assemblyis attached to the cargo box; the cover assembly including a pluralityof rigid panels and a flexible hinge; wherein the plurality of rigidpanels include first and second panels flexibly secured to one anotherby the flexible hinge; the flexible hinge having a center portion, twoside portions and two intermediate portions that extend along a lengthof each of the respective rigid panels when the flexible hinge issecured thereto; wherein each of the respective intermediate portionsseparately interconnect one of the respective side portions to thecenter portion; wherein the cover assembly further includes twoelongated support members, each of which is secured to an underside ofone of the rigid panels and extend along the length of the respectiverigid panel so as to cooperate with the underside of the respectiverigid panel to form a partial enclosure for retention of a part of theflexible hinge proximate the underside of each of the respective rigidpanels; wherein each of the elongated support members has a main portionand a flange; wherein the main portion has an upper portion that issecured to an underside of the respective rigid panel and the flangeextends away from the upper portion such that the flange resides atleast partially below the respective underside proximate an outer edgeof the respective rigid panel when the respective elongated supportmember is secured to the respective rigid panel; wherein the respectiveflange and the underside of the respective rigid panel cooperate to formthe respective partial enclosure within which one of the respective sideportions and at least a part of the respective intermediate portion ofthe flexible hinge can be secured; and securing the flexible hinge tothe respective first and second rigid panels within the respective firstand second partial enclosures.
 51. The method of claim 50, wherein thestep of securing includes the step of attaching an upper surface of eachof the respective elongated support members to the underside of therespective rigid panels.
 52. The method of claim 51, wherein step ofsecuring includes positioning the respective side portions of theflexible hinge within the partial enclosure created by the cooperationof the respective flange and the underside of the respective rigid panelby a method selected from the group consisting of: (1) positioning therespective side portion within the respective partial enclosure; and (2)positioning the respective side portion within the respective partialenclosure and securing at least a part of the respective side portion tothe underside of the respective rigid panel by adhering one of the groupconsisting of an adhesive material and a two-sided adhesive tape to thepart of the respective side portion and the underside of the respectiverigid panel.